Simmering

Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash

Simmering
	after Elise Powers

Simmering beneath the surface
people’s thin skins
they don’t want to hear
have no skill to swallow,
metabolize what they’ve heard

Humans want to turn
from others’ pain
scrabble to find words
they hope will soothe
then blurt a platitude

I resist armoring
want to feel it all
live close to the skin
for everyone to know
in this, my one life