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