by Sigrid E. Mortensen
© 2023
If you prick me
I bleed words
Words that drip
And trickle
And pool
Into patterns on paper
Patterns that have meaning
Patterns like ink blots
Patterns for those who see more in ink blots
Than ink blots.
If you prick me
I bleed truth
Not a Universal Truth
Perhaps
That can be transfused into every soul
But one that can save a spirit or two
If his type is a match
To mine.
If you cut me and the wounds are deep
I may apply a tourniquet
That stems the bleeding.
But a prick
A small prick
Barely noticed in my busy life
Rises in a bead
During quiet moments
And flows like ink
Onto an empty page.