Pain

If I had a note for all the pains

I‘ve felt in life, I’d have built a wall, 

stronger than the Berlin to hold off 

the needle point daggers aimed at me

but what good would

that have brought me?

trapped in a fortress

with no trap door to escape

the loneliness laid

by bricks fashioned

to keep company away.

Life is unfair, but in fairness,

It has schooled me 

in the art of survival.

A chameleon to combat 

the changing tides, 

I’ve become a wave 

that’s not afraid to crash 

and retreat to gather strength

the reason I have 

multiple personality, is no treason 

to them who see it as an affliction. 

I wear it proudly.

So the next time you see me 

act in the style worthy of a woman

whose accent is thicker 

than a brogue, don’t be alarmed.

A wise woman told me, 

there is no gain without pain

now, I relish the shots 

as an addict and ride on the high

wings spread and feel the winds beneath my feet.