Last time I saw it, it was shivering in blackness
wrapped tight in layers of shame
squeezed small with no room to breathe
locked up as he never would be.

I searched that space, that hole, that valley.
And in its place, the compressed past
formed diamonds so hard and bright
I placed them in my eyes and faced forward.

—
Stephanie Hutton is a writer and clinical psychologist in the UK  who believes in the therapeutic value of short creative works. She has published flash fiction, short stories and poetry online and in print. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the Brighton Prize for flash fiction. She can be found at stephaniehutton.com