Kissing the Monsters

The teacher says to send
tenderness to my anger.
Thank goodness she adds
that it will take the rest of my life.
But at this point that isn’t long,
gotta get going on the new habit.
Then she says, train to be present
with ruffles of discomfort and pain
instead of stimming off to stories.
Train, in not believing all my thoughts.
Thinking is just thinking.

Huh. Wish this stuff had been
school subjects I studied. But now
it’s time to locate these in my body:
turning toward tenderness;
staying immune to the flu of fear.
Here I go, extending warmth
to ugh, aversions felt in my flesh.
Learning to be okay
with not being okay,
trying to be one of the ones
who keeps her heart wide open.

©Susa Silvermarie 2026

with thanks to Pema Chodron

Image by Elsemargriet from Pixabay