Back Against the Wall

She sat in a corner,
shoulders hunched,
clutching woollen blankets 
to her chest.  

Security
was the wall
pressed against her back;
the knowledge 
that nothing could overtake her
without her seeing it coming;
no ghosts of bad decisions
or demons of regret
could catch her from behind.

Silent conversations
held with the wind
kept her from going mad
while convincing others
that she already had. 

She clutched her blankets tighter;
darting eyes from left to right
and within a modicum of hope
she danced;
face turned upward
as it rained inside her soul —
salt water trickles
on the windows 
of her pain. 


may 2005
Janet Reid




Awarded by New Horizons  ~  June 14, 2006




Awarded by New Horizons