"Talent"... you tell me
Whispering from poet's lips
As if I could deny your gentleness
By other than sensory deprivation

If I devour my words...
Beat my voice into quiet submission
Offering you sounds of silence
Would you pause...
Long enough to turn
That gentle gaze inward?

If I showed you...
The streaks of blood
Running through my words
From a pain that kept them captive
Swirling into the still pool of my mind
Would you see...
More than the bloodshed
My monsters left behind?

If I told you...
The truth
Behind the scars... wounds... words
Would it pain you...
To see the soul's bruises
As I strike my page
With slashes of ink?

Is it talent...
If I asked for it with hope
And paid for it with innocence?

Is it enough...
To let you know
I would seal my lips
Muffle my voice
Bind my hands together
Offer my eyes
... if it would allow you to find your worth?

I am left...
In the emptiness
To be carved into
By the blade
...You call: "talent"...

~ Shae Leigh
24th-Mar-'98

Discovery of the self starts with an inward glance...

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page