SPINE WIDE OPEN

My spine is wide open,
yet I feel nothing.
Girded to take on
the unfulfilled dreams of my family.
Numb.
Hoping to heal
myself
then move on.

Stuck in one place
by an unlived past,
an unrelieved past
I set off on foot,
a pilgrim of healing.
Walking stick in hand.

But then with a quiver,
I realize the truth.
That the peace I must make
is not with the world
but with my ancestors.

The pain passed along
through a hundred frustrations
have formed a tough shell
to be cracked and peeled off.

Rose petals scattered
on open sores
cover the wounds and
begin healing the pain.

In order to stand
and take one’s place
as a fragile being
in a more fragile world.