…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