Raoul Fernandes

An Ache in the Knot 

if there’s a shortness in the breath of the lungs

if there’s an ache in the muscles of the arm

if there’s a knot in the shoulder and a soreness

in the throat if there’s a redness in the eye

and a twitch in the lid if there’s heat in the forehead

or sweat in the sheets if there’s weakness in the knees

or a hunger in the gut if a clutch of the fist

a ringing in the ear a chill to the touch or a sprain

of the wrist a shock to an elbow a swell in the bruise

a cut in the skin a skip in the heart if there’s love

in the inhale or love in the exhale if we are making amends

if there’s a mending of the bodies that rend

if we tend to each other in the dimming room

if there is an ache in the knot undone