The Price Of Healing

Healing asks for something rare:

To stand in truth when no one’s there,

To face yourself without pretence,

And honesty without defense.

You meet the eyes that twist and plead,

But still refuse the parts you bleed,

Escaping hits like cutting glass,

And staying strangles you just as fast.

You watch them throw what isn’t yours,

Their blame like stones against your doors, 

Each tear feels like a mortal sin,

For breaking shields they’re hiding in.

This road is lonely, steep, and slow,

But there’s no other way to grow,

To heal is not to be adored,

It’s to reclaim what’s been ignored.

You see the child you used to be,

Still begging you for clarity,

The echoes pull you back inside,

To love that left you crucified.

Cathrine Hottran 2025