Handle with care
our spirits and our minds
so easily damaged
so easily broken
so easy to hide
a word
a look
a failing
a wound
a scar
now flailing
the dark holes we lie in
to recover and protect
have beasts in the shadows
that lie on our chests
they're heavy and constant
make it difficult to fight
they wait in the darkness
they eat all the light
we may throw them off
rise up
from the depths
towards the light
and use all our strength
to hide
our fragility
to hide how we're broken
to hide all the yearning
to hide all the hurting
all the things that aren't spoken
who is to blame
something or someone
or maybe just life
or maybe just no-one
the beast you can tame
but it waits for a crack
it'll sit in the dark
patiently waiting
for you to come back
we all can see fractures
and bruises and sprains
but the fragile mind
fills them with shame
the stigma of
an unwell mind
stinks up the air
the broken just want
to come into the light
want to feel whole
and not have to fight
so the next time
we judge or dismiss
perhaps instead we
could take one little step
towards empathy
we don't know
the depths of the pain
cause some
hide it better
some tame their beasts
but some will never
we all still are fragile
so lets handle with care
let's not judge
what we don't know or feel
let's just be there!
Wendy Bremner
