The Long Pause

Everybody knows you cried last night - jenbeez

She spent years trapped in limbo,
Trouble wrapped around her
Like a thousand writhing tentacles,
Squeezing, choking, suffocating.
She cannot blame some accident of fate
Or some menacing faceless stranger
For a plight caused by her own hand.
That bad decision mars her existence,
Keeping her trapped in her personal hell,
Not allowing her to step forward
And claim the life she was born to live.
She’s paid a hefty toll on this journey,
Confused emotions forced her to settle
For extended misery instead of happiness.

Overwhelming as it seems,
I know she still has plenty of resources,
An untapped strength to spur her on,
To handle the hard choices that face her,
To escape the sadness permeating her life.
Tears are not a permanent tattoo,
Only temporary tracks to be wiped
Away from a hopeful spirit,
One recharged with a new focus after a long pause.
Once again she will drink of joy’s libation
And realize life at its best is poetry;
That’s all she could ever ask for.