
I take three quick breaths but only one is mine.
This stolen time keeps leaving marks on my ribs.
The reality has nothing to do with the divine –
Rosy suffering and pain are crying in their cribs.
I do not know when the wheel started turning,
But I need to stop it before I lose my mind.
Priests will watch the hunt, watch the burning,
Then go home and call my rage unkind.
I take three quick steps but two are borrowed,
And I might collapse if I take just one more.
My happiness has nothing to do with tomorrows,
But I cannot stop myself from keeping the score.
-Jackie