Caught within Winter’s fevered embrace,
a desire to be numbed,
to feel no pain.
Marching forward,
tears frozen to my cheeks
eyes blinded to the warmth
as I traverse the plains of snow.
Within,
I chain my beating heart
desperate to rip free
the sorrow and anguish
that this rage and torment fuel.
Locked in my mind
looping over and over
are tapes of my youth
the silent jeers and taunts
that I have swallowed,
ignored,
ingested,
made into a part of me.
Within Winter’s frozen embrace
I find my madness so clean
so easy to comprehend.
For within Winter’s dying embrace
I give up my denial,
my fight,
and I allow the sun to penetrate.
Jay-lyn Doerksen
December 27/17
