until i knew

until i knew 
where you hid 
the cracks in your life, 
not the scars of 
glued-together shards
that show your strength
for all to see, but the
shattered walls within, 
held together
only by glaze, shadow 
and will, fired in 
the kiln of childhood 
and refired in unquenchable
expectations and 
burnt-dry reality, 
i thought i couldn’t 
love you more. but then 
you allowed my light 
into your deep places 
webbed by worry and doubt,
unseeable until 
you’re poured out empty,
where a bump or 
thoughtless touch could 
bring the whole thing down,
and, oh, i found i could.

Day 29, the penultimate (one of those poet words) day of NaPoWriMo 2024. The prompt of the day was to write a poem entitled “Until (something).” I didn’t know what to do for a while. Not uncommon. But I hate staring at a blank word processor page - I think it might be the blinking cursor tapping its toe in impatience. So I tapped back “until i knew,” because that was quite true. That cracked open my shattered pitcher of thought and imagination. And here we are. (Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash.)