a talk with the inner child

I have a talk with my inner child.

how are you these days,
my boy,
i ask him
over a cold beer
in the back yard.

he laughs. do you really have
to ask.

i get it, i tell him.
i'm with you. sorry about those
bruises.
those bumps and cuts,
sorry about the pain you've
endured,

but there's something i have
to tell you.
all of this will end soon.
you don't have to
worry anymore
about what's been done to
you from early
childhood
and further into your life.

i get it now.
you'll be okay. you'll see.
relax.
it's going to be easier
from here on out.
no one is going to hurt
you, or me, anymore.

we're healthy now, we're
whole at last.

you're free. we're free.

thanks he says. i appreciate
all the hard
work you've done.
thanks for taking care of me.