We fear the solitude so we compromise
Our fortitude. We let somebody hold
us high with their hands, their
words, their stares, their sighs.
When they leave it’s like standing
bare before an archery of archers
ready to be struck by the volley
of fire upon flesh, mind and soul.
The fear of pain overtakes the fear
of loneliness.
We let nobody close,
we learn to thrive alone without
their sighs, their stares, their
words, their hands.
The pain is then not a thousand
arrows but a single blade.
-Melisa Im
[Image: “Woman Warrior” protected by a Creative Commons license belonging to Andreas Øverland]
Illustrated by Meli 