Mercy Tolentino Steenwyk

“The beating belabored
Rocks cast in between
The stabs irked a heavy heart
I cupped it in my hands
Like a broken bird, it cried
I tried to breathe into it
And then I kissed its head.

The stabs left marks
Stronger than before
Sinewy twists and knots
Creating a joyful growth
Ups and downs and
A perennial pull, suspended
Of sheer strength. And I
Smiled. She felt the surge of
Air so swift, of strength never told.

Behind every tear and the falling
Is a vantage point of light
Of a vista, a hindsight,
Where a sky bleeds crimson
And blue a bird taking flight
With an eye so keen, so wise
So filled with fearless grace
Her wings sailing with a prayer,

In her song.

Just as I saw, my gaze
Upon the light.”