Relief

pain written
in lines
upon the face,

brought to life
with the lash
of a word,

know the stinging tongue
is not meant for you,

its cause unknown
to those without -

we are not the only ones
haunted by demons -

though we might offer respite,
we have our own burdens to bear

we walk alone together,
each carrying our own experience
of the world's hurts,

this is the relief
we have to offer
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Tattoos

they tattooed 'know thyself'
to their forearms,
a constant reminder
that wisdom
begins with the knowledge
of who we are
at our core

perhaps it was necessary
as we all seem
to be more distracted
by the persistent screens
of our lives

what happens
when they wear sleeves,
does the reminder become
'out of sight, out of mind'

or is the tattoo artist
our greatest philosopher,
embedding the idea within
with each jab
of their needle
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