Melting Pot of Growth

By Joshua Lefort

Distal fractals of broken promises,

Shattered dreams and heavy memories,

Fill the vast and barren lands

I call solitude.

Condemned by no hand but my own,

I dress and bandage in fashion,

And cling tight to the illusion

Of an accessorized distraction.

Sedative in clothes,

Validation well sewn,

But still, I stain red.

For a mourning heart

Can’t help but weep, cry, and bleed

For the hurt it couldn’t help but share

With one who couldn’t help but care.

With each beat,

I brace for a visceral contraction,

A deep-felt polarization

Of this fragile realization,

Tuned to the thump of her vibration.

Too proud to carry my cross,

Too good to repent my sins,

Fast I ran, foolish I was,

But tired I grew,

Trying to outrun a cycle

Marked by a past I knew.

In the belly of this gluttonous beast,

With a palate for all travesty,

And an appetite for its insecurities,

I stand open-hearted and tender-eared,

Armed with pen and paper,

Facing front, a full-length mirror.

Distilled elixir of a love turned sour, I sweat,

The stench of a past self, I shed.

In transparency, I wield a fine-edged blade,

Sharpened to the point of vulnerability,

Forged on the mantle of accountability.

Demons I call them no more,

For Excalibur in hand and courage at heart,

Tonight I’ve come to slay

Anguish, shame, and guilt,

And pay the price

For all that which I hurt.

By Joshua Lefort