Sharp edged truths

crystallize in my throat

cut me on faceted edges

as I swallow them hard

with a shot of whiskey

laugh huskily at the irony

of gagging on riches

I long to spit these blood diamonds

Rubies

emeralds

into cupped hands

witness the polish they bear

from fire that simmers in my belly

fed on the dry kindling

of a lifetime of suppressed grief

rage

passion

a reckless surgeon

I will slice open my gut

with scalpel

extract them one by one

listen to them ring

as they hit stainless bowl

before stitching myself back up

with thick black thread

Perhaps I will use these gems to buy freedom

from the heavy shackles of memory

expectation

that chafe at wrists

ankles

raw heart

finally unencumbered

I will walk again barefoot

on crisp leaves

a crown of woven branches

and scarlet flowers upon my head

© 2017 Christine Elizabeth Ray