PERSONS AGAINST RITUAL ABUSE - TORTURE
AND OTHER FORMS OF NON-STATE ACTOR TORTURE

In the middle of the city street
claws wedged tightly into the frozen prey
You actually stayed longer than you should have

Risking that precious second
that might have been the difference between
Life and death

How many of your friends
have you seen taken out
splattered over the pavement from just such a moment of survival?

Perhaps it is an unexpected gift from my past
that I was not surprised to see you staring at me
as you struggled to try to remove both yourself and your prey

Anything is possible
to the extremes of the outer edges
of both the positive and negative

But this morning,
as I obsessively planned, if not my permanent,
at least my temporary departure
You blocked my path…causing me to stop fully…and mirrored
back to me determination, courage and survival

Thank you!