Facing the Void

She moves with confidence

She twirls, she beams

But when she turns to face

the empty space again

She loses steam

and rivulets of insecurity

start seeping through the seams

The gaps between perceived reality

and her most treasured dreams

Now seem to yawn

The fabric she has woven with her hopes

now seems to drift in disconnected threads

What builds her up again?

What deep, supporting truth

can she believe?

What calming voice can counteract

the howling judgment

that whistles down the hollows

of her bones?

A pause to gather courage, to rethink

and reassess the evidence

A confidant to give her new perspective

Or some kind of sign

So she will choose to rise again

and meet the challenge one more time

And this time maybe she will power through

face down the void

and forge herself anew.

©Wendy Mulhern

July 6, 2012