The Dance
Piece by piece
I gave myself away
My reflection eroded
chipped and cracked
An empty soul I became; broken
My spirits diminished in living your dreams
My Truths became lies, so your falsehood survived
Partners we were, trapped in this twirl
And, the music played on
in my head and yours, for long
Loud sometimes, muted on others
Until one day, became a clamorous din
Before us, the mirror lay shattered
Pieces of my being scattered far and wide
I struggled to collect pale remnants of self
Hugged the parts crushed beyond repair
Sobbing for all that was forever lost and gone
Piercing insight came from the splintered glass
It was you that was never good enough; not me
Empty and insecure, you sought to control
Found recourse in abuse and anger, and raged
Fixing the mirror, looking beyond the cracks
then, was not the answer, for you, or for me
Doubt and questions filled many a difficult day
My choices, even to myself, I could not explain.
Had you punished me? Had I been my own tormentor?
Life, had buried these answers inside
To a depth that I could not fathom-nor reach
What we would find, and how deep, who knew?
It would be painful, and surely tedious
But never as hurtful as the glass strewn,
Or the hollow inside that silently gnawed
Fractured souls; our weary selves
We must now walk the alleys dark and deep
Embark on this odyssey of vulnerability
Strain to hear the music again-of the soul;
To follow the dance of the heart-and the self
To lay ourself threadbare; and rise above what appears
We must dance with ourselves; and the demons within
Find the courage to complete ourselves; not the other.
When many a lifetime has passed or an eon
Perhaps our paths may cross.
You and I, healed, repaired somewhat.
Me, loving the scars you gave me
You having left your cavernous voids behind
Will we pass as strangers; you and I?
Or walk a while together in silence, and reflect?
Perhaps, healed,we willsmile
And wonder about the dance, we danced?
August 2021