If physical pain were punctuation,
it would be a question mark
searching for reasons and explanations.
Or it would be an interrobang –
frenzied alarm and insinuations.

If doubt were punctuation,
it would be an ellipses.
There is more to follow
and it may not be what you expected. 

If fear were punctuation,
it would be a comma –
a run-on sentence, trying to flee
from itself and the trauma.

If peace of mind were punctuation,
it would be an apostrophe –
only noticed when it is missing,
appreciated by someone like me.