There is a place deep within me where I go when the world is too much In that place sounds are muffled Light is dimmed All of the harshness that is too overwhelming is dampened down and pushed away When I arrive in that place, I am already so weary and worn I'm struggling to breathe Struggling to cope Struggling to not give in to the crushing pressure of life No one can reach me there, not really In that dark and quiet place I am safe to process my feelings Safe to release the pressure valve on my emotions Safe to feel exactly what I feel without worry of judgment or contempt Sometimes I wish I could just stay there But I'm a mother and a wife and an employee The real world doesn't stop spinning Responsibilities do not stop needing attention Children do not stop needing guidance and love Husbands do not take leave of their expectations for what a wife should be doing Employers do not stop expecting you to show up and be productive So in that shelter I do my best to let go of what I can To surrender to the sorrows, the tears, the fears, the doubts, the broken dreams, the disappointments I let it all flow out like water into this grotto Hopefully to be cleansed And by releasing these things I pray to be renewed enough to keep going Even as my knees shake and my back aches and my voice quivers And the tears flow I pick myself up Straighten my battered crown Wipe the tear tracks from my cheeks And reapply the mask as I chant a prayer begging for serenity And step back into the bright, loud, ever demanding world again -gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 