I move at the will of emotions
They instigate the tears, the trembling
They make a dry face wet and contorted

A fleeting memory
I lose control for just a moment
But a moment is all it takes
Gone are the pretenses of equanimity
Exposed are my innermost frailties
I fight back for control over my own body,
my own mind,


my own heart
Hot, faint, and shame-faced,
I pick up the remains of fortitude
And build them up once more
But another occasion: a word,
a gesture, a question,

A fleeting memory
Triggers the blow
And the bullet strikes the weathered heart
Again