It Hurts

sometimes

Decaying tree, photo by Rachel B. Baxter

When it hurts,
it hurts,
it HURTS —
And, sometimes you can’t
work through it,
run through it,
walk through it.
Sometimes it hurts
because your body
is telling you something,
sometimes it
is screaming at you to
SLOW DOWN
or breathe, or sleep,
or eat, or
have a glass of water
for goodness sake —
Sometimes it hurts and
it’s not a test of willpower,
it just hurts,
it hurts,
it HURTS.