The Hole

In my heart, there is a hole
which no one can fill;
each time I think of this hole
my heart trembles as I am reminded
of the caves of terror.
I’m afraid when I close my eyes
I’ll lose my voice inside,
forever.

Each time I fall in love
I disintegrate like a storm
while my sister worriedly shuts the windows
believing that I should think more of the future
and less of the things lost.

The doctor has prescribed my memory
with complete rest.
He regards my paleness
as the result of the blood I’d lost in childhood
and my hollow coughs
as the outcome of collective rapes.