Bio
Ann Christine Tabaka was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize in Poetry, has been internationally published, and won poetry awards from numerous publications. She is the author of 9 poetry books. Christine lives in Delaware, USA. She loves gardening and cooking. Chris lives with her husband and two cats. Her most recent credits are: Ethos Literary Journal, North of Oxford, Pomona Valley Review, Page & Spine, West Texas Literary Review, The Hungry Chimera, Sheila-Na-Gig, Synchronized Chaos, Pangolin Review, Foliate Oak Review, Better Than Starbucks!, The Write Launch, The Stray Branch, The McKinley Review, Fourth & Sycamore.
Trigger Warning
There are times when sadness creeps in,
filling the space that love left empty.
Such emotional bruises do not disappear.
On the surface they may fade,
but deeper than physical bruises
of muscle and tissue, they remain.
War-torn, we succumb to affliction,
as it lures us deeper and deeper inside,
It paralyzes us. It pushes the world out.
We fill our days with nonsense
to avoid the stab, until we can tear
desolation from our heart, to seek
sunlight again. Sadness may have
its place, but it must not win the conflict,
when pain cuts deep into our lives.