suffering scalds the gut
& broils the brain
it abandons your soul barefoot
in a loincloth
with hands clasped
in prayer
for some
all hell torrents
through the gills
as they maim & humiliate
others
self-proclaiming
righteousness
& there are those
led by suffering
to find the sacred center
of the universe
within themselves––
the heart lifts
& laughs
like a sun-lit cloud
at dawn