I Have Known Poem by Leila Ired

I have known
vengefulness
and that sweetness of
words withheld.

And I have known
love turned bitter
and the turning of
shoulders, not cheeks.

But I have known
that this sweetness has turned sour
and that each wound on your back
hurts me more than you.

And I do not know
if you will accept
this gift of my friendship
or seize it and cast it away.

But I do know,
that this silence between us
has enslaved us in chains
not the ties of two friends.

And I am certain
as sunrise
as rain
that what was once sweet
is not lost
because it was our friendship
that gave me the strength
to face you.