by Jane Prinsep

Created on: November 18, 2009

Inky black fingers cleverly worm
Through tiny slivers in my psyche
Deep crevasses of vulnerability
Once hidden behind a membrane

My shell of protection, worn lifelong
Patch-worked from a hundred brave faces
And shards from a splintered heart
Lies torn, discarded, forever useless

My depths now exposed for your exploration
You; my uninvited, over-bearing visitor
I am mute, defenceless; loneliness proves

Too powerful for normal gut instinct

I feebly close the shutters, turn off the phone
Signs easily read by the kinder eye
They do not matter, as you are different
You will not stop until you find a way in

Forgetting to wipe your feet, you tread
Your familiar poisonous dirt
Into the open hallways of my being
Polluting my air with your toxic mouth

I can only lie motionless; playing dead
Murmuring prayers for you to leave
So I can breathe pure, clear air again
And seek comfort from the one I trust

New levels of hurt and disbelief are reached
I question the evils of the human mind
Your projections and clever use of mirrors
Lead me to endlessly doubt myself

You have been here before, but I have not
Fortunately, those that love me know you from old
Smiling with your mouth but not with your eyes
They look lovingly into mine and rebuild me

I thought you were clever, but as I start again
I wonder why you never allowed yourself
To turn the mirror and gaze questioningly
Into your own, unhappy, unsmiling eyes?

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