I am the label
that someone stitched
into the seams of your soul
many, many years ago
But who was the tailor -
teacher, parent, friend, enemy?

All I know is
you've been trying
to tear me out
without success
for a lifetime.
I never asked to be attached
within your beating heart
but I do know
my barbed-wire stitches
are almost impossible to unpick

Almost.

Mark Bird ©2022