knots

My fingers have spent many years untangling

Even with eyes closed, a mangled mane can be tamed with gentle coaxing

Knots that seem unbreakable

Will with many tiny strokes, unravel into soft and shiny locks

Unlocked and unbound by patience and kind diligence

But sometimes I find a stubborn snare

A matted mess that tears split ends into a winding labyrinth

A sorely neglected tress that twists like vines of ivy

Roots thickly binding to a gap in the exposed brick of some crumbling college wall

In this case

Small careful steps are needed

Knots like this that have crept into the heart

Are seldom parted quick without the bladed snip

A scissor’s cut

May exorcise the demon but

It will not still the twisting in your guts

Some things take time to tease apart

Like tangled hair and broken hearts