RESTLESS PULL

 

Restless Pull

Sleep escapes me,

my own doing,

not yours—

caught in a churn

of inward noise,

drawn, unyielding,

to your orbit,

a tug I couldn’t shake

(you stood where

my compass pointed).  

Months unrolled,

a slow unraveling—

I tugged at the threads

of your guarded walls,

your bristling edges,

stripping away

the veils you wore—

bright, woven with secrets,

a performer’s art,

all flourish and guise,

crafted to dazzle,

to shield.

I didn’t see

what waited there,

and you—

you never guessed

how stubborn I’d be,

how I’d push

through every no.

We clashed,

horns locked,

a willful stand-off,

both digging in,

neither bending.

Yet now,

a grin breaks through

when I think of you,

of the woman

you’ve carved yourself into—

that war we fought,

tearing down

what held you captive,

it claimed its prize.

I shine for it,

a quiet blaze,

pride flickering

like a city’s pulse