douleur ,
her name became famous in fairy tales
— the nemesis,
the last petal
the ticking clock
the broken glass slipper
the blade that cut Rapunzel’s hair

nightingales sing songs
about her death
in the dark of the night
where stars don’t shine
and the moon won’t even smile
many desire to flee from her troubles

but through the decades
I have come across her
many times she knocks at my door
bothering my quiet days,

“let me teach you,” she says
“teach me what?”
“all things”

and she taught me
how to live
how to give
and receive
and say thanks
for every breath,
for the daily Bread
and warm bed

“let me run with you”
“and go where?
“Home”

and we run and run
’til my knees burn
“are we there yet?”
I say, (gasping)
“keep running,” she says
I stumble upon rocks
and mud
and tall sharp grass
in my scratches and bruises
she taught me patience
to wait
to trust
what I could not understand
and believe what my eyes could not see
here, the faith race

“let me show you”
“what more?
“love”

but she gives love differently
the tough kind,
the one that pierces
you with the truth

she takes a bite from Eve’s apple
and shows me what comes after
when you succumb
to the liking of the naked eye
she redresses my judgement
when clouded by the frailty of the heart
the bittertaste of her rebuke
is sweeter than honey to my healing soul

amid the wrecks of this ship
we ride the sea
there is no shorter way
to the next journey
I say,
pain is a teacher,
a friend;
once also broken,
became a token

pain is not your enemy