A Resourceful Young Woman

Everything you’ve ever said,
each word,
is a tiny rock in my heart.
It makes gravel.
It makes a sound when I walk
and sit
and breathe.

You are a weight
I carry
in the form of
one million smaller weights
that alone would not seem
significant,
but together
anchor me in grief.

Like a quiet mouse
you bring
ever more
for me to discover.
Each night
when I examine my heart
I find a new stone.
Sometimes
I forget to look
and the next time I take stock
there's a whole pile of them.

You can pretend
you don’t know what I mean,
but you know.
You moved them
from your own silo
to mine.

And me,
I move them
into poetry.
I move them
into sex,
into cigarettes
and beer.
I move them
into the hearts of others,
so that they can feel
my sorrow,
so that they can share
my burden,
and be a part of me.

And that's something
I am proud of.

Even saddled with your misery
I have found a way
to share.
I am free.