my massage therapist’s fingers
find space between my ribs
where before there was resistance
and knots
and no way of going through

and she breathes a sigh of relief
as my body returns to
what it should be
rather than holding all the stress
of the whole world
in my muscles
and knotting up the nerves along with it

and i walk away refreshed
but also, of course, worried —
how long will it take for my body to collapse back
to the shape it’s been in
for nearly a month now?

and will pain ever be a thing
i am
without?