Flame
You grew up leaning to make your own light
In a world where you saw none
Each flame you had only for a moment
Before they came and snuffed it out
But your anger and fear only fueled that little flame
That spark that danced and sang
“I am who I am
Whoever that may be”
That flame you began to hide away
In the darkness under your floorboards
Your fingers are cracked and bloody
From prying them up
Whenever you had to feel its forbidden
warmth
And when your bones are near breaking
You give up on digging it out
Late
When the darkness belongs to the night alone
And it’s the only darkness you ever trust
You remember the lessons
Your kindergarten teacher prided you on
Kindness
Love
And honesty
You wonder
Did everyone miss that lesson
Or did they just throw it away in the same bin
They threw you
And you don’t feel honest
You feel like you are harboring a fugitive
Under your floors
Sheltering a criminal
Beneath your skin
Someone wrong
Not right
And when it aches like that
You miss your little flame under the floorboards
Where you let it suffocate
And wither
And finally go out