she told me to accept what i was feeling

all that i felt, without judgment and this

i tried to do. until i realized there was 

one item i was long conditioned to ignore,

to control and never ever let run free.

~~~~

i thought that anger was just a downward 

spiral to hate and rage. i thought it inhibited 

forgiveness and peace and ‘not ladylike’ 

was deeply ingrained as well. 

~~~~

but my head has learned that anger has 

its place, its own type of service, and bears 

a scent that must be exhaled as part of a 

story of injustice identified.

~~~~

and she is welcome here.

for others, and even for ourselves. 

yes, this is acceptable too. 

~~~~

so i breathed in deep and shut my eyes 

and listened in the dark to what anger 

had to say.

~~~~

and she began to communicate. 

~~~~

louder and more convincingly than any voice 

i had ever heard, ‘this was not right.

this should not have happened.’

~~~~

and found that I most heartily agreed. 

~~~~

and the fire blazed and burned and for maybe

the first time, i embraced the heat and watched 

what happened next.

~~~~

instead of consuming me she began to devour 

things like misplaced guilt and should-have-dones 

and sadness with her searing blue-white flame.

~~~~

and her sister, grief, nodded, stood and 

clapped her hands at last. 

~~~~

certain anger is not meant to be tamed

but to burn white hot until at least released.

so let it roar and turn to ash that which 

sparked the heat within your chest. 

~~~~

consuming pain and shame and horror 

of what was and is, until there is peace

as embers flicker and finally grow cold 

satiated. 

~~~~

and you will look and say, ‘that pain, it 

squeezed my soul for far too long and

sucked oxygen from gasping lungs,’ as 

flames you tried to control in desperation

rage. 

~~~~

but now that they are free to do the 

purifying task that they were meant to 

accomplish all along, you are finally free 

as well.

~~~~

–lean in bold and do not fear this healing sort of flame. anger has its proper place and function.