A poem by Tricia Bates Smith

I hold you so tight,
             absorbed in past emotions of suffering.

I am enamored with your controlling mind, 
           full of worry and dread.

We age together …

So familiar we are with one another. 
           Who am I without you?

My body is transformed by my obsession, 
           becoming bent and diseased.

I am lost in you … 

We share so much.  We snuggle together, 
           blanketed by our fear, living outside life.

I look for the separation between you and me. 
           Who am I without you?

Dearest Pain, it is all too much …

I name you beloved pain, 
           Declaring your separateness from myself.

I can envision you distanced from me and now ask 
            “Who am I?”

Farewell beloved. 
           I choose to live in gratitude. 
           I choose to live in forgiveness. 
           I choose to be worthy. 
           I choose to accept the blessing of today.