There are events
that can wrench
your stomach out
through your throat
You are certain to die;
your heart can’t bear
another stomping
You are surprised
when you don’t die,
breathing, blinking,
stunned, soundless
Survival seems so
very, very cruel
in all retrospect
Scar tissue can only
grow so thick before
you are terminally
numbed to everything
and everyone
©Brenda-Lee Ranta
My Paint My Words 