the yoke that put its weight on me has never touched my neck
has never told a story I could easily recollect
the words were always simple but the difficulty was
the burden of the proof I had to carry with my tongue

I had to find a way to silence voices in my ear
and all the while pretend that I could make them disappear
so I became my burdens and I let them weigh me down
I put them on my neck and said, “I’ll let you have me now”

the yoke became the part of me I learned to live inside
a gentle sleight of hand that ushered peace into my mind
the burden said, “I’ll take it,” but the burden didn’t know
the weight of every part of me was hidden in the yoke