and tonight i shall bow at the altar
like a great tree bends in the wind
and scratch my skin

as an offering

to the confidence i lost with my femininity,
to the loved ones i have lost or forgotten,
to stars and the heavens and the seas

my branches will snap and break away
my leaves will crunch underfoot
as i stand and cry out from the pain

until i have bled myself dry

but like all great trees
i will grow again when the storm has passed
wiser and lovelier than ever before