Forty

FORTY

I am the light, I am the dark

I'm a raging fire, I'm the smallest spark

I’m a true believer, I’m a Pharisee

I’m the deepest root, I’m spring’s new leaf

I’ve got ice in my veins and my heart on my sleeve

I can tear and rend, I can mend and weave

I'll lie through my teeth and ring true as a bell

I’ve gone to heaven and I’ve been through hell

I’m an open palm, I’m a fist closed tight

I’m a great day and I’m a rough night

I’m a wild river, I’m a calm sea

I am the lock, I am the key

I am the diamond, I am the rough

Too much, too little, I am enough

— An original poem by Kate Block, with love + gratitude to Meredith Brooks for “Bitch” and May Erlewine for “Never One Thing”