Raw

Raw.

We use it

To describe

Meat

Milk

Dough

That hasn’t been subjected

To scalding heat to make it safe

To consume;

But it’s also

For skinned knees

Burns

Open wounds

And broken hearts.

It’s for when the pain is new

When the lines are skewed

And you can’t make out

What’s up

Or down.

You can rub something raw

You can have a raw, raspy voice,

Especially

When your feelings are rough

And exposed,

And there’s no easy way

To transpose the pain

Into words.

Sometimes all that makes it right

Is time:

Time in the oven

Time under the band-aid

Time under the sun,

Time for the bread to bake

And the hurts to heal.

Time for the vocal cords

To recover

And for strength

To return.

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