The Line by Lauren Ebersole

There is a line
that must be drawn
for how much pain
you’re willing to take,
for how much hurt
you’re willing to absorb,
for how many lies
you’re willing to tell.
But the line seems to move
pushed back for any reason that soothes
for every excuse that gives hope
of an intermission from the pain.
But it is just a moment
before the pain returns
and you wonder
why you moved the line.
Lauren Ebersole (she/her/hers) is a civic educator who lives and works in Northern Virginia with her four plants and a lot of thoughts. She most commonly rants about politics on her blog, but has recently started writing flash fiction and poetry. When she isn’t doing any of those things she can be found cuddling one of her parents’ many goats.