Endure

what life 

teaches us

is how to stay 

silent

when we are struck 

how to endure

unendurable things

like loss, heartbreak, 

mistrust,

friendship on ice

or in the fire

I know about 

sticking my hand

into the old 

box of pain

haven’t I been doing

that and more

these four decades 

the trick of living 

is to keep

taking your heart

out of the freezer drawer

in the morning 

to wrap yourself 

with your arms 

and to whisper 

in your own head

“I will never 

abandon you.”