there’s a place for sadness, the sharp exhale through dry lips
& a place for happiness, the gap between the heart and the ribs
there’s a place for wounds, the bleeding along opened skin
& a place for scars, the ridge of mangled flesh having healed
there’s a place for rage, the tearing of bark from a tree in winter
& a place for anger, the demand for splinters stuck in a fist
there’s a place for desire, the heat of fingers held tight
& there’s a place for forgiveness, the trail of a stained tear
there’s a place for remembering, the floor of a windowless room
& there’s a place for forgetting, the edges of teeth being broken