When you can’t roll with it
You knock me down
you spit on me where I lie
you turn your back on my huddled form
you laugh
and then I move
I start to move my legs back underneath myself
I brace my hands against the ground
my blood and sweat form a paste with the dirt on my face
my muscles shake
your boot, it again connects
I’m down
I’m hurting
I spit into the dust
and I breathe in the earth
again I push my hands against the unyielding ground
I arch my back
I begin to reach for an absent hand
no. this is all on me
every cell
every fibre
each bruise
each tear
you make a sound- harsh and jagged
is that the closest you can come to a laugh
I have one eye swollen shut
the other is half blinded by involuntary tears
and I hold your gaze
I look into your eyes, your soul, as I crawl from the floor
I cannot stand straight
but my head is unbowed
what do you see in my eyes?
you take a step back
as I turn and limp away