chained
I was left the legacy of a pile of stovewood
Adrienne Rich, “Living Memory”
split by a man in the mute chains of rage
The land he loved as landscape
could not unchain him
am i chained
by “mute chains of rage?”
it’s hard to say
sometimes i’m surprised
by the anger inside
whether it also binds me
is a mystery
though i agree
this landscape could not unchain me
emotions are tricky
often unnoticed until it’s too late
steering us subtly
so sometimes driving us completely
if anger chains us
fear torments us
jealousy robs us
and sadness buries us
we think we are in control
as we sit in the passenger seat
imagining which way we might turn
and when we go the other way
we edit our thoughts to match
this helps us continue to believe
we are in control