You’re so used to my silence,
To my bearing your burdens quietly
It makes you feel better
To know I won’t complain,
That I’ll weather any storm you create
And still stand ready for more.
But today
I was not silent.
Although I never raised my voice
It sounded like thunder to my own ears,
Deafening in its purpose,
In its simplicity:
Enough.
My back is broken,
My wood boards wrenched apart and sails
Tattered and torn
From years of gales and lightning.
High winds of anger
Blown in your breath as you spit hurt like rain
Enough to drown me
But never enough to wash away the words
Already said.
Although rotten inside
From years of salt water tears,
I stand as tall as the mast
Upon which my white-flag rags once hung
An unspoken plea:
Surrender.
Does my strength surprise you?
Your forceful nature made me such,
Hardened like a lonely captain
Commanding a damned vessel
To her inevitable death.