I grab the hem of my soul
Take a deep breath
And
Rip
R I P
I breathe once more
Feeling less pain than I expected
My soul and body are
Were
Connected by perforated edge
It tore perfectly.
Between two oak trees
Hangs a clothesline I use
With two clothespins from my pocket
To pin my soul onto the line
Air it out
Laundry fluttering
My lungs expand freely as I watch
Dusty memories float off my soul in the breeze
The sun bleaches out the stains
Kills the festering bitterness
Wait for it.
I unpin my soul from the line
Drape it over my arm
Ready to iron out all the wrinkles
Sew it back in
This is less easy
Connecting the soul back to its edge
Torn out pages are not meant to be put back in
The purple threaded needle weaves in and out
Over
Through
Under
Through
Dash by dash
My halves are again made whole
With each inhale my soul drifts around my
inside
Hanging on by neat stitches.
Maybe later I’ll add
Embellishments of flowers and quotes and vines
Bright embroidery floss
Adding false vibrancy
When I can’t find the life inside myself.