The House of the Law

When I was a young woman
I moved into the house of the Law.
I dwelt there as a
Stranger living in a strange land.
Harsh it was,
All rectangles with ruler-straight
Lines. Clinically sterile it seemed.
Under glaring lights of Reason,
I divorced emotion,
Amputated my senses.

Now, I have made for myself
A small mouse’s nest
Beneath a cornice
In the grand house of the Law.
Comfortably curving
Walls that hold
The trembling soul
Like a bird held
In a gentle hand.