(Poem) Exit Wound

This week I share another exclusive poem, directly from my notebook.

Exit Wound

this is how
we love each other.

powder-burn skin
and your throat:
a barrel

each word
an exit wound
down my spine.

and how
i will remember you:

a fire
masquerading
as light;

a wound,
still holding
a promise

of healing.

—-

I’m always extremely conscious of the fact that I’m writing about real people, and that my readers only ever get to hear my side of the story. So, I try to be as honest with myself as I possibly can be, and as respectful of those that I have loved - that have loved me back.

Most of the time, this is easy. My poems are never meant to be accusatory, or to place blame for the way I feel on someone else, and while the process of honest self-reflection can be traumatic and difficult, it can also be cathartic. It can help with the process of letting go.

But nobody is perfect, and I can’t always find a way to remember people in the way they might want me to. The truth is, even the people you love are flawed, and not every relationship can be salvaged. The process of being honest with myself sometimes means I have to be honest with other people, and the poems that emerge from this process can be hard to write; hard to share.

This is one of those poems. I can’t explain the situation behind the words, but I can tell you that this is as honest as I know how to be.

Yours,

Blake