Downward

My life has been swept into a tempest,
Tossed on its face,
And nudged ever onward.
Eyes blinded by the stinging frenzy
Of winds nipping at my skin.
Piece by piece my body strips itself from my ribs,
Leaving my heart just as tender and exposed
As it is numb to all the splendid poetry
That my soul once sang.
I cannot submit without a challenge,
And I cannot lead when my head screams for rest.
I bear the horrid nothingness of solitude
With a lonely little echo in my chest
Reminding me of when my lips came alive
To dance across bare skin
And savor the succulent moans of a lover.
Now, I'm sure he thinks I crave another,
All the while I only long to feel something
Other than empty.