Teflon

How merciful the mirror seems to be
Considering what life has thrown at me.
Perhaps the damage mostly lies inside
In places where it all is safe to hide.

But can I think it will not take its toll?
The suffering I fail to control
By sacrifice for what I feel is right.
The truth is lost because it’s out of sight.

If only it were also out of mind-
If flashbacks of the torture left behind
Could stay where they belong in that sad past
And set me free from misery at last.

But bonds to my tormentor will not cease.
The sacred vows left no room for release
Except for death never allowed to part,
But sickness reigns to rot away my heart.

No fault, no blame, the swirling tides of fate
Could wash away the pain, perhaps too late,
But what I’m made of seems to persevere,
And I survive- the Teflon’s working here.

John H. Bidwell