Wounds Run Deep

band aid smiles ripped off

revealing the flesh below

still raw and real

the wounds run deep

my mouth cannot voice

what my soul

longs to speak

tongue twisted and tied

bound by silent rules

written by the past

soul remains unconvinced

of that my mind believes

to be true

i confess to myself

i am not yet whole

or perhaps it is too much

to ask

accept me as i am

this vulnerable side

still too afraid

to say those words

i am but a coward

undecided

wavering

vacillating

wanting so much

asking for so little

will i let myself

experience the chance

to either fly or fall

is my strength

an illusion

can i afford to pay

the cost of the possibility

of a shattered heart

once again

Original Poetry by Alice Tea