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