"You buried the sadness long ago," she said.
"It's time to heal," she said.
So I waited...
And waited...
Nothing.

I looked away.
Just for a moment.
A stolen moment.
Forget waiting.
I need a distraction!

Ah, I found it!
Work.
Loftier pursuits.
Rescue a friend.
Revenge!
Chase a windmill.

Better now.
Pain?
Forgotten.
Shame?
Disappeared.
Sadness?
All gone.
Comfortably numb.

What's wrong?
Something doesn't fit.
Doesn't feel right.
I hear the sound of my own voice calling
"Foul play!"

It wants out.
Realization.
Have to face it.
I lift the lid.
Pandora's box.
It's back.
Like a rush.

I fall to my knees.
Broken.
Sobbing.
I failed.

I couldn't make it go away.
I couldn't hide it.
Run from it.
Disguise it.
"I won't be ignored!"

I cry for help.
There you are!
Brother hold my hand.
Help me face the enemy.
Together we win.
We become survivors.

"You buried the sadness long ago," she said.
"It's time to heal," she said.
Damn that woman.
She's always right.

Great poen Rusty. You are right. Together we can win. We WILL win.

Very strong poem Rusty,

An amazing poem discribing in condensed words the evolution of dealing with sexual assault. In my thinking the time to heal is "not now" rather "on going". I don't believe there's an expiration date or a final completion. It's a lifetime of work never to be ignored, for if one does it comes back to re-injure us and most likely those close to us. Thanks for the reminder with your wonderfully written poem. EB

See Rusty you inspried me!!!!!!!

hugs great poem

they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think the reason we like poetry so much is its ability to speak volumes with so few words.

your words hit home on so many levels. Thank you for sharing rusty.

Love,

Markus.

Yes, it IS time to heal. What a great moment of realization when that comes.