In the dark room,

under the bright lights

I needed to tell the truth

The portfolio of life lay

before me

The officer, weapon laden leaned

Over into my personal space

With the breath of regret

The sweat of memory

And the voice of honey that said

She only wanted the truth

So I sifted, there under the spotlight

At the binders before me

The binders that had bound me

With nowhere to hide

I snapped the clasps, opened the rings

And threw the snippets of life into the air

Some sorted into poems

To make me smile

Or laugh

Or weep in turn

As they turned into birds

And butterflies and stinging wasps

That shook the whole room

until the door opened