Blood Red and Bleeding Out
And Again We Mourn
Blood red and bleeding out, beaten and bruised
Bashed in and worked over
Scarred, scorn
Slashed, lashed and maimed
There He was hung high
Slain
On the tree
Like strange
Hanging fruit
We look to You for truth
For light
You would understand Our plight
What it means to hang, to die
For something we did not do
And why
Is there still no justice in the world?
For bodies of bronze
Dripping red
Flooding the streets
Our homes?
Our beds?
Places of rest
Of worship
And praise
We still aren’t safe.
Hunted down and picked off one by one
Young, old
Man, woman
We are all fair game.
The skin the target
Locked in their sights.
We look to You
For peace
For light.
Woman
You will bleed.
It is inevitable.
It is fact.
You were born with pain in your womb.
You were born with burden.
You were given life
To give life
To give of yourself.
To bless.
And therefore
You will be despised.
Because you will bleed
You will be despised.
Because you carry purpose
You carry compassion
You carry love
You will be despised.
You will bleed.
Blessed blood.
Sacred blood.
Misunderstood
But essential.
Few can handle the burden
Of your purpose.
But you can.
Remain soft.
Don't be afraid.
When the blood
Flows.
I wonder what would happen if
I reached into my chest
Felt around
And grabbed hold of my heat.
Would it struggle?
Would it fight?
If I tried to pull it from its cage
Would it relent?
Once freed
Would it still beat?
Would it look back at me?
Could it weep?
How would it feel?
Heavy
Light?
Would it bleed out?
Spilling my secrets, fears, doubts?
Could it love me
If it were no longer part of me?
Would it feel me?
And its color
Would it stain my hands a rich crimson?
Or oily black.
Sticky...tacky.
Ink-like.
Could I use it to paint...or draw?
Could my heart be used
To express what I had hidden in it?
Would it let me open it?
Sensitive to my touch
Would it fall open, presenting what's inside
Or lock up
Fight me?
Would I have to pry it open?
Would I be strong enough to struggle?
Would it slip from my hands?
Would it hold still?
Would I have to finally,
Cut it open?
Make it submit
Make it tell me all there is
To know
Make it spill out?
Or would it shout
In pain
Anger
Rage?
Grief?
Is my heart protecting these things?
Am I protecting my heart?
Or locking it away?
For fear that my questions may get answered.
#poetry #floetry #women #pain #blood #life #mourning #ragart #rag #blog #writing