‘My Bed’: A Poem by Theresa Werba

My Bed

When life has burdened me and robbed me of an easy way,
I’ve looked for succor, such as one can access every day;
A simple, sweet solution to the traumas of my mind;
A place where I can hide and heal, that’s never hard to find.
The antidote to what is past and thus what lies ahead:
I’ve found it in the comfort and the safety of my bed.

A never-changing presence in the middle of my room,
Which in some years became more like a closet or a tomb;
Enveloping, encasing me from daily stress and strain,
Where I could go to block away all memories and pain.
Away I’d flee from suffering, and overwhelming dread;
Applying to the comfort and the safety of my bed.

I’ve cried, and sobbed, and moaned, and wept, and ached, and mourned, and prayed,
And slept, and dreamed, and tossed, and turned, and battled when afraid;
My fears consuming nighttimes and my mornings as I’d waken,
As if the terrors swallowed me and I was left forsaken.
And yet, despite the struggles I endured within my head,
I’d wake within the comfort and the safety of my bed.

A place of nurture for such things as one’s creative mind,
For words will come to me within the wellspring that I find;
A place to think, to write, to make, and, birthing something new,
I recognize my little universe deserves its due:
For this is where I’ve struggled, labored, toiled, worked, and bled:
A tribute to the comfort and the safety of my bed.

For it has not been such a haven solely just for me,
For it has been a respite also for my family;
I’ve hugged and cuddled, and wiped tears, and sung, read books, and prayed,
A mother’s love, a grandma’s love, both fervently conveyed.
Thus an extension of my heart, where open arms are spread:
Welcome to the comfort and the safety of my bed.

But in this bed I also knew what violation meant,
Enduring loveless love, in ways I tried to circumvent;
But now that time is past, so very far away from me,
That it remains the providence of fading memory.
So sanctified, restored, and dedicated now instead,
I triumph in the comfort and the safety of my bed.

Oh, wonderful and precious is this sacred place to me,
A temple where the psyche can abide, secure and free;
My inner world protected by an outer world of peace;
A mighty fortress where my cares, and woes, and fears decease.
For this is why the various enemies in life are fled:
My champion is the comfort and the safety of my bed.

In retrospect, and looking now, it does appear to me
Since that I’ve coped, it is the most exquisite therapy;
For this is how I’ve gotten through and managed to survive,
But not just that—I’ve done the more—by managing to thrive!
And so I lay here pondering what future lies ahead:
All glory to the comfort and the safety of my bed!

Theresa Werba (formerly known to the SCP community as Theresa Rodriguez) is the author of eight books, including What Was and Is: Formal Poetry and Free Verse, and Sonnets, a collection of sixty-five Shakespearean, Spenserian, and Petrarchan sonnets. Her work appears in numerous journals, websites, and online publications, including the SCP Journal. She has been featured on Classical Poets Live where she discusses musicality and elocution in formal poetry. She is a contributing writer for Classical Singer Magazine. Werba’s background as a Classical singer informs her dramatic poetry readings which are available on Youtube @thesonnetqueen. Her website is www.theresawerba.com.