I cannot feel anything, I say, to any who ask
I have not been able to feel for as long as I’ve recognized
The absurdity of the cards long held in my hands,
Dealt to me by a Universe that believed the innocence of a child Must be blotted out by all the rags in Its possession

I cannot feel anything, I say, to myself
And this is unremarkable, this is fine
This is how it was always intended to be
For the ability to feel is a vicious curse
Placed on the unlucky ones
Who scream, and weep, and smash their way through Life

But there is a sudden and subtle sensation in my chest
That brings my feet to a halt
Slows my breathing, quiets my thoughts
Pulls my lips up into a smile
And says, return those leaden burdens
To the years from which they came
They do not serve you anymore,
Set them down now, and rest

By some stroke of fate,
You have stirred a frightening, yet promising, sensation in me
And I think it is joy