Waiting for the pressure to be lanced by a blade drawn fast

Praying for the vice to loosen from my chest

Wishing I could go someplace not of futures and not of pasts

Knowing I’m bound with the rest

Hearing we suffer in union brings no silence to the blast

Pushing me to angered, irritated unrest

Then…

Understanding that tears leave tracks of relief when shed at last

Taking off my bullet proof vest

Speaking with someone who sees the depth behind the relief caste

Smiling together passing this test

Accepting the movement of time and the will to outlast

Breathing in deep, hold fast