Untitled XVI

My feelings have always betrayed me.
Black-ringed irises spilling into deep
caverns, as water rushing into a sinkhole,

every naked part of me exposed,
crushed under the heel of my boot
as I attempted to snuff it out.

A wall so thick and so high, built
to dam the force of constant destruction
imbuing me with a woeful ability
to absorb the emotions of others.

A complicated distortion keeping me locked
in fight-or-flight, looking for any small
opening to flee through, as I stared

into the nothingness of escapism,
blocking out the sun and all hope of survival
in the deep wells of insanity.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

But in the darkness there grew an idea,
birthed during a cosmic journey through
scorch-marked memories,

complicated threads unraveling
to reveal the source of my troubles.  

No longer do I wade out into deep waters
to breathe the stagnant water.

It dawned on me that I cannot
pull another to shore if we are both drowning.

You can call it a wall, but I prefer
partition. I freely move it, as needed.

It's protection, self-love, boundaries,
a very keen understanding of myself
and my psyche.

I can slip into your ill-fitting shoes
and walk many miles, but I will not step
into your skin and wear your experience.