Her pain was a tangible,
Living thing;
It screamed out of the windows
Of her eyes;
It howled
At the corners of her mouth,
Like a wolf,
Beseeching the moon
For mercy;
It cried out of the darkness
That hung around her shoulders;
Aching for release,
Escape;
It roared,
Like a crown of thorns
She bears in silence;
It danced behind her smile
Like a demon in a cage;
It lay, cradled,
In the bruise
Beneath her ribs;
Without it,
She did not know who she was;
It broke her, and left her-
Hollowed.
Empty.