My Vow

author's note:

Holy vow.


MY VOW

Yes, I could still feel
but not clearly enough
to keep from injuring myself.

Fortunately, such injury can awaken.
When I awoke
I found myself dulled
by fuzzy static fog inside.

Ironic, yes:
I could feel my numbness.
And contrary to what some seem to believe
fluffy grayness feels uncomfortable.
Eerily unnatural.

No, waking doesn’t mean
release in a flash.
But only then did I vow
to do whatever possible
to feel what I truly felt--
to feel as much as I could bear--
to experience
the overwhelming truth
of our human life--

no matter the suffering required.

Dancing to Raven’s Song: a novel
© 2021, Michael R. Patton