I walked out of the house today.

I walked out of the house today.
a house I thought was home.
stung by the barbs
of my own skin -
identities,
insanities,
fantasies,
lies I told myself,
comfy beds I snuggled in,
strangers I invited in,
mirrors I gazed into
that distorted my face,
pores clogged with indifference.

I walked out of that house today.
a house that could never be home,
I walked into the starkness of the night,
naked, my tender skin
splashed with blood
from plucked out barbs,
a blood-red heart now come alive,
thumping out a new song of love
for myself and the world,
and suddenly, I could breathe!