by Elifnaz Kabalci
The arms of the poison ivy
getting ever tighter around you
They sting and they break and they rip apart
everything that you are,
blood and the veins and the organs
The ivy strikes
ripping, breaking and disfiguring
who you are
The more you struggle to escape, the more it conquers
everything you built
Suffocating, you look up to search for
A glimpse of light
that calls your name
A glimpse of peace
that’s always been meant for you
But breathe,
thoughts made of venom,
a monster of your own creation
isn’t able to prevent you
from reaching up and holding
that which belongs to you
So surrender
It’s all in your head, darling
Dare,
to look right into the light
as the wise poet’s wise words
“It may not be much light but it beats the darkness”
oh and it does,
trust that the poisonous arms will loosen
oh and they will,
become transparent
disappearing through all the pieces they broke
fading into the mess of you
and set you free
If you dare, darling
Dare to be free.
Elli read this poem at our meeting on the 4th of May 2018. Definitely check out her writing and travel writing blog, where she writes about all the snazzy alternative cafés she encounters on her travels.
