Cross to bear

if love alone could heal me
you know that I'd be well
all curves and gentleness

   fresh as the morning

my family,
we are born a battle
waged inside our bodies
                      and minds

we come out struggling
against forces of heaven & hell

what sickness is this?
that floats inside our DNA,
that twists us into those,
who grit our teeth
and smile through
              suffering

if love alone
could mend us
could knit together cells
and smooth the pathways
of tangled neurons...

would we be well?