by Jo Fisher
Callous fingers prodded and poked,
intent on exploring, testing limits
unprovoked,
each blind to the damage
done to the soft belly of this
curious beached creature,
whose centre,
once exposed to the world,
grew tenser;
curled and closed
in self-defence.
What did I expect, opening up like that?
But today,
I unfurl and bloom,
allowing the feelings to flood back over
spreading myself wide and free,
making room for you in me.
I let my insides out, anew,
tender tendrils unwrapped and stronger,
no longer trapped, neglected,
suppressed,
heart and guts and mess revealed and
my soul, undressed.
The tide has come back in again,
and your salt water heals the pain.
Jo Fisher | @joannefisher | @jo_fisher_ | jofisherwrites.com
Jo is a poet, writer, storyteller, theatre reviewer and chronic people pleaser based in Southampton, UK. She was a 2019 Hammer and Tongue National Poetry Slam Finalist and performed for three whole minutes at the Royal Albert Hall.