wild and wayward
wilt like flowers in the frost or whip
around inside my head
like wind like flame
they scream they whisper
in a voice that I don’t know
they call my name
they blend they bleed they break
like waves against a wall of stone
retreat expand and swell
aiming for the sky
and then sucked back
into the sea defiantly
they die
words tease me tempt
torment me like a swarm
of angry bees and words
like lover’s fingers on my skin
seem desperately
to want to please
words are wily words are warriors
words are restless and at ease
words catapult me
into space lifting me
beyond the stars ordaining
that I end up on my knees
words keep me sane
chronicle my pain
instruct my brain
to reach beyond
what is to what might be
and
when melancholia
heaves me into soundless
rooms too dark to see and locks
the door and throws away
the key only words
can set me free
– Susan A. Katz (All rights reserved)