it is a stretch
for me to reach out
across
this shifting distance
this shaky ground
hand extended
toward you

a journey
across a deep chasm
for me to say
aloud
even in a whisper
I need
I want

I do not like
to need
to want
to admit any
vulnerability
any Achilles heel

my rigid armor
my titanium shell
shields
isolates
protects
separates

to remain
in this self-imposed
exile
leaves me
at the bottom of the
well of loneliness
which no rope
of any length
can reach

my breathing
is loud
here
it echoes
darkness is
a presence with
texture  

to emerge
holding my bleeding heart
naked soul exposed
edges fluttering
in this icy wind
is a risk
that shakes me
to the core

this is the rock
and the hard place

© 2017 & 2018 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All Rights Reserved