Wounded

 Let the sliver of the idea
fester in the mind
and it will begin to throb
like a thorny gouge under the skin
activating the nerves and inviting infection
until you debride the soul
of the ooze,
puncture the slippery sack
of white cells and the ways
you've tried to protect yourself
and failed.

Break it open.
Clean it out.
Let the wound heal,
scar over,
and live to tell
the story
about the battle
that left all these marks.