Reduced to stumps

It is when they shed their leaves

that you notice the brokenness of the trees

how well they hid their cracks

in the warm abundance of summer

but winter has laid bare their wounds

and it is too late now to bind them

they must be chopped down

lest they fall on their own

crushing all that is near

only when they are reduced to stumps

will they be stable and sturdy again

Rebirth

The drug is gone now

It did not go with a whimper

But with a wild scream

It tried to take me with it

Howling as it was expelled

My skin beneath its nails

Leaving my nerves exposed

My senses raw and tender

Like a baby, and just as angry

My soul is birthed in sweet agony

Each sensation an assault and a triumph

Ringing out I am alive

I am alive!

And so I welcome you pain

Because to be dull is to be dead

But these tears - they are life

Stonemason

Show me where this awkward stone

fits into the perfect wall

I have worked so hard to build

Show me how to use its heaviness

in a way that won't cause the edifice

to crumble into a pile of ruin

Show me where to chip away

the stubborn blockages

so that it can be a useful thing

Show me how, when the rough rocks

are placed amongst the smooth,

it strengthens the whole