The Frozen One

Warning: This poem contains topics and language that might be painful to those who carry ancestral wounds of persecution. If reading about this is triggering, please skip this poem or read with caution.

The Frozen One

I am the Frozen One.
I live inside you.
And I am older than you are.
I am the soul cry of your ancestors.
I carry what could not be borne.

I am the burning of the witches.
I am the blood of the natives.
I am the scars of the enslaved.
I am the wounds of the wisdom-keepers.
I am the silent scream of women.

I have been reviled and rejected.
I have been muzzled and muted.
I have been betrayed and broken.
I have been torn and tortured.
I have been exiled and executed.

I am the Frozen One.
Deny me and you remain frozen yourself.
Silence me and you stifle your own true voice.
Ignore me and distractions fill your days.
Abandon me and you will never feel truly safe.

Can you touch my untouchable parts?
Can you bear loving-witness to my pain?
Can you hold my trembling hand?
Can you cry the dark well of my tears?
Can you face the depth of my rage?

I am the Frozen One.
Do not fear me. I am your guide,
your wounded healer, your liberator.
I hold the keys to your freedom.
My dungeons sit full with treasure.

Remember me and reclaim your lost gifts.
Your fierce knowing. Your timeless wisdom.
Your unflinching eyes. Your fearless voice.
Walk through the fire with me,
and rise rooted once again.

- Ríonach Aiken

Published in Tales from the Unbound Path, The Unbound Press, 2023.

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photo credit: Sollena Photography (Sandra) from Getty Images