Stoicism is a prison
Though I break out
Though I break down
Through the pull of a merciful act
Then I’m old and too weak to hold back


I can imagine a troubled
Panicicked angel tangled double;
One cat caught in a grate
A girl unfair in a wheelchair
Nears and dares her balance, her endurance, her tolerance
Strains all of her weight
Shows the pain that she’s used to on her face

Then relief, and they’re both free
She and the cat both refuse to
Cry more,
Like those that might see