Vessels

In what one may think as a final hour 
Tense vessels tighten to squeeze out any blood that may be left 
To supply an already weakened body 
Suppressed by lack of freedom 
Surprised by the intense unpredictability of life
Attacked from all angles in a moment’s notice
without relent. 
No light shall shine today nor tomorrow 
A pot full of hot water can only boil so much until 
An eruption. 
It has happened. 
But instead of a release, 
The water keeps on burning 
Until soon there will be no more water 
The pot, empty, left to melt if it’s plastic
It is plastic. 
Cheaply made and inexpensive 
A perfect representation of our government 
Oozing from flames beneath 
Causing an awful, unavoidable stench 
Toxic…
This time the vessel cramps in the calf 
She knows now this is not minor stress 
A thousand bricks upon her chest 
And so, each day she rises, not to know 
But hopeful, that another problem thrown her way 
Will be the final one today. 
Quickly move, it’s late 
Another day to pretend she’s okay 
Why ask how are you? 
The answer will always be the same. 
“I’m doing well, are you okay?”
She doesn’t ask that anymore
She knows and says nothing of the sort 
Because reality is far from “doing well”
She’s drinking from a poisoned well. 
A poison that she didn’t know 
Until, 
She fell. 
Head first she hit the cold, hard bottom
Filled with black sludge and centipedes 
How they crawl up the walls in a hurry 
The dark, thickened water splashes 
All sides of an infestation 
There is no way out 
Perhaps try to climb some rocks 
Slippery little rocks aren’t meant for climbing 
Unless you have 100 legs 
Only thing she has 
Is 100 different types of pain 
The tunnel becomes her escape. 
Slip away 
Into the dark side of a hole in which will briefly be your last home 
Feel the bottom of the earth 
Swallow it whole. 
You have nowhere else to go. 
The faint light at the top
Gives way to darkness 
Close your eyes 
The poisoned well will soon enough be gone, you know 
One day you will wake again… 
Until then, another knot 
Straight to the neck 
Suffocates any blood 
This time none comes back
Let yourself go 
Let yourself go…
And in letting go 
You will be reborn.

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