two years

In the crucible of
Excruciable circumstance,
An acquaintance
Turned an unlikely friend:
Take two years,
She sheerly shared with me then.
Until your head clears,
And you again know more
Than where you’ve been
About who you genuinely are,
You’ll for far too long
Redress the same dream-deep scar.
Until you grow sore
And sick of stone-throwing,
Right or astray,
You’ll fall short the shore
Of where love has you going;
It’s okay to stay,
For a weak-kneed while,
For fair weather
Will still be there
When you get there anyway.
Meanwhile, pace a mile
For a pinch of peace
In a why unanswerable,
To replace it with a when
Worth believing again,
And hide a smile if you
Can’t wear one with ease.
As all’s unconquerable
From within the mirage
Of unassailable walls;
Break free of yourself
To best be yourself,
And build someone even better.
You shouldn’t fetter hope;
While you might
Cope in chains and
The heart kite on a tether,
A phoenix’s flight
Is on freedom-fire,
Each flake of ash
A redemptive fury-feather.
Take two years
On an unkind clock;
Rediscover your reflection,
If on rough-hewn rock;
And, as the spectacle
Of pain surely disappears
On that long-promise
Of introspection,
May you find a thousand
Splendor-lit windows
For every mirror
Splintered by false-rejection.