…is flooded with roses

My pain
is an elusive creature
that comes in many forms

sometimes
slow to grow
stealthy and silent
seeking its prey

sometimes
sudden and unexpected
a bolt of lightning
on a quiet day

sometimes
tethered to love
creating tremors in the heart
slow to fade

my pain
is a prison without walls
or bars or chains

it is a drowning place
an ocean of emotions
where peace
is but a mirage

until my pen
carries my pain away from me
rivers of ink
bleeding into white pages

creating vast seas
of melancholy
gently released
into eternity

and in the moment
I am falling
outside of myself

drifting
in the ebb tide
and the night
is flooded with roses

but the sad reality
is that each line
seemingly released
to the ethers of time

is tattooed upon my soul
carved into my heart
my pain may fly free
but it is ever a part of me

© Ann Bagnall