I wore
a frown
& a too tight
fitted garment
made from
the finest fear.
So tight
I couldn’t
catch my breath.
Worry wasn’t my colour
(it never did suit me) .
Now it seemed
I dressed in nothing else.
And black
apparently is the new black.
Even my footsteps
were scared
of
themselves.
Each footfall
pinched
two sizes too small.
My soul
bled
leaving behind
a bloody footprint
a trail of my despair.
“It’s like I’m like
The Little Mermaid! ”
I thought
to myself.
But my self
wasn’t listening
wrapped up
in a scowl.
I howled
but then
suffering
was never my style.
And with
a smile
I stripped off.
Took everything off
my mind.
My naked mind
left fear & worry
in a discarded
pile
My naked soul
running bare assed
diving into
a sea of happiness
wearing nothing
but a smile
my heart
smiling nudely
at smiling fishes
flowers of coral.
Dónall Dempsey
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/undressing-myself-for-helen/