I stand in darkness
There is pain
But the pain isn't in me
It is around me
It is the darkness
I reach out and touch nothing
I run, but it is still there
I shout, but there is only silence
I cry, but there are no tears
Stop!
I will do nothing then
I will just be
I am my own light
Then I light the darkness
From my heart
And the pain is healed
(86. chronic pain, pain of the heart—doesn't matter—pain is pain... but maybe you can overcome it like you can overcome darkness...? And the second poem to win the contest a year later after writing it.)
~~~The entire chronology of poetry (aka the manuscript, “Chronologically Filed Stanzas”) is available as a pdf on my website.
~~~
(No darkness was harmed during the production of this post.)