Sonnet #119

To live at all we must become the brave,
We have to overcome the shame at nakedness
And let the doctors see beyond the skins
To keep our teeth, we face the drills and lathes
Expand our jaw beyond the point of pain
Let all our secrets lie exposed before the truth
That's carried in our blood and bones and tooth
Of how we live our daily bread and little stains
All that builds into erosion of the organ meats
All that scrapes upon the cartilage and bone
To live pain free, we must feel pain, defeat
We must close our eyes and gather all stones
Gather all the ghosts before us who walked in streets
Paved in pain by survivors. For them, be brave, alone