When I was a little girl, I had dreams;

Because I couldn’t hear the screams

That lived hidden inside my head

After my words couldn’t be spoken.

You gave me all you had and then you

Left me unaware of what came next.

I’ve lived one thousand lives in ocean’s

Depths. You drowned me when you crept

Into my bed. You died and left me

Comic books that your sister hung onto,

Which she kept. I’ve always paid attention

To minute details and things people mention

In passing—the kinds of things they think

It’s sweet when you remember. I drink

From wells of boiling water in the cave

Where you were buried, a slightly older age

Than Jesus of Nazareth the year he died.

Sometimes I imagined the pain of being

Crucified myself, but it’s like my heart

Has holes in it anyway, the  pain

He must have felt—for people who

Would never love Him, but He loved

Them.

By Melissa Lemay

From: United States

Website: https://melissalemay.wordpress.com