Unmothered Sky

There is a sky
inside me
no one
mothered

It weeps
when the world sleeps
it's clouds are made
from things
I never said
out loud

I was born
from cracks
and made
to carry
storms

But even

thunder
grows tired
of its voice

Each scar

I wear

Is a door
I walked

through
alone

No maps

No hands

Just the

compass
of ache and

the echo
of stars
calling me
home

I’ve mistaken survival
for peace so many times

I nearly forgot the difference

But

I am

learning

That love
is not always
a soft thing

Sometimes it is
a sharp wind
that clears
the rot

Sometimes

it is leaving
before the fire
reaches your bones

Sometimes

it is choosing
to wake
even when
the dream
was easier

I no longer beg
the sky to hold me

I rise
to meet it

Empty
and whole

untamed
and tender

I am
my own
becoming

By Samantha Pruitt

Reviews

[Thomas W Case]

This is stunning. The imagery feels elemental and earned, and the emotional arc from survival to self-recognition is handled with such restraint and grace. The ending is especially powerful.