Strong enough to be
weak sometimes
to melt into a puddle
to lose everything familiar
to trust you will be caught
or if not, that
falling is not the end of the world
as you know it.
Strong enough to cry
in front of someone, even a stranger
not just genteel tracks of tears
quietly streaming down wet cheeks
but racking heartbroken sobs
that shudder and shoulder-shake.
Strong enough to feel…
anything…everything
and not get washed away…
to stand your ground.
Strong enough…and enough…
to be flexible in the storm
to bend and not break
to dig back out of the black pit
to pick back up off the ground
though ragged and bruised
to rise up again…and live.
Margaret Dubay Mikus
© 2011
From Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine