Denial

A lake with inlets only,
deep, and self-contained.
Seemingly free to roam the earth,
But within myself I'm chained.
My entire being is carved in white,
The color of cold, The feel of hot;
Because you think that I am there,
But really I am not.
The eye of ancient hurricanes,
Plaguing land and sea;
You think that it has ended,
But the worst is yet to be.
Daughter of Old Man Winter,
I bring him in the night;
Beautiful and deadly,
And killed with warmth and light.
The swiftly moving panther comes,
I lure him my own way.
But soon I see my eyes are his,
I've become my own prey.
The world is slowly killing me,
Its dragging me right down,
But its hard to stand up for yourself
When you're crashing to the ground.
My mirror image shatters,
And the truth I can now see;
All this time I have been
Denying myself to me.

Copyright 2001 Caitlin Carlson