By Deirdre McCarthy
There’s a wound in my side Raw and open I wrap my pain in clean white cloth Keep the blood from seeping Pray for it to heal It never really does Every move breaks it open Makes it ooze Can I even call it my wound? Is it even my place to hurt? But, who would I be if I didn’t? What would it say about me If I let it become a dull ache? I don’t want those who clutch their pearls Only those who clutch their sides We recognize each other I see my pain in your eyes I want to tell you it gets better Pretend I do not see the crowns of thorns Or the children wearing them Whose sins are they dying for? Chunks of me fall away Unused and broken pieces Where hope used to live I’m surprised but maybe I shouldn’t be Maybe we are just victims Of our relentless belief in a happy ending. A song plays. It reminds me of when things felt like a beginning. Is this what it feels like when things end? Is this what soldiers felt like The night before bombs flew? Or Rome fell? You would think by now We’d see it coming I suppose you could say we do That the wound is knowledge That the pain is punishment That our sins cannot be forgiven.
Deirdre McCarthy has spent her academic and professional life as an educator of all things communication based framed within a creative context. Her 20+ years as a college professor have include a wide range of courses covering multiple subjects; the most intricate aspects of interpersonal communication through the most public of public speaking as well as dramatic studies covering every aspect of performance such as: film, Stage and voice over. Deirdre performs her poetry weekly in Cambridge, MA and in Lowell, MA and has won slam poetry contests in both cities. In addition to her work on the collegiate level, Deirdre has worked as a professional coach specializing in corporate communication at both the company and individual level and performance training for working actors as well as those looking to break into the business. Beginning as the lead coach of a top Boston studio before branching out on her own to launch her own studio, Face2face Pro. Here, she continues to teach and coach others in performance while also offering clients Life Writing sessions, allowing people to explore themselves and use life experiences to create poetry, or stories.
Kelsey Erica Tran is an aspiring photographer and poet. Studying photography for two years in high school, she developed a passion for the art and hopes to turn it into a future career. Her first piece “Illuminate” was published in Apricity Magazine.