I love reading other people, blogs, almost as much as I love writing my own. Yesterday, I stumbled across a couple of new blogs that I really appreciated. So of course, I wanted to share them with you.

This poem is by Dray Orion

Tell me where it hurts.
Not the surface pain—
not the sting that fades
or the shiver that lives skin-deep—
but the place you hide from yourself.
The fault line under the breath.
The trembling beneath the obedience.

Because I don’t want the bruise this time.
I want the bruise before the bruise—
the secret ache you pretend isn’t there
until My hands make it honest.

Every body carries a wound.
Some beg to be struck.
yours begs to be seen.

So come here.
Closer.
Let Me take you apart
the way you’ve always wanted—
slow, precise,
like peeling back a truth you swore
no one would ever touch.

Devotion is easy when it’s loud.
Anyone can moan for their owner.
But the quiet ache—
the one that sits behind the ribs,
the one that tightens your breath,
the one you swallow until it tastes like need—
that’s the one I want

I want the hurt that shaped you.
The hurt you carry like a relic.
The hurt that made you kneel
long before I ever told you to.

Let it rise.
Let it shake.
Let Me feel the tremor you hide
when the world asks you if you’re “fine.”
you’ve never been fine.
you were waiting.

For hands that don’t flinch.
For a voice that doesn’t lie.
For someone who knows the difference
between breaking you
and freeing you.

Tell Me where it hurts
and I’ll show you why it does.
Tell Me what aches
and I’ll claim it.
Tell Me your wounds
and I’ll make them holy.

Not by healing—
healing is mercy.
This is worship.

you give Me the place that never stopped bleeding,
and I’ll teach it
how to want again.

Because the truth is simple,
and you’ve always known it:

The wound isn’t your weakness.
It’s the doorway.
And I am the One
you open for.

The ache was never the offering.
you were.

~Dray Orion

I wanted to do an analysis of all the things I like in that, and why I like them. But honestly, I just need to let the poem speak for itself, with just a thought or two.

For me, it’s about the recognition that The Things We Do are connected with a part of ourselves that goes much deeper then what we usually talk about. It connects with my belief that being submissive and being dominant are pathways to growth. A path that can lead us to healing and to a spirituality that transcends religion.

Some of Dray’s posts are opinions about life and the world. I enjoyed those, but another post on BDSM well worth reading is The Dominant Within.

While I was checking out Dray’s posts, I ran across a blog. I had never seen before that really pulled me in. FemdomFindom , as described on the site, is:

“…a UK-based website offering BDSM education, specializing in femdom, financial domination (findom), and various kinks. Operated by Majesty Flair, a dominatrix and BDSM educator with a background in Psychology, the site provides articles on kinks and fetishes, BDSM principles, and related topics. It also features interactive BDSM games, task wheels, and access to Majesty Flair’s books and consultancy services.“

So this blog has all kinds of stuff going on. But the part I loved was on the psychology of pain and BDSM. This post really sucked me into reading more.

Understanding Pain in BDSM: The Psychology, Neuroscience, and Art of Consensual Hurt
Why pain can feel like pleasure, how to build tolerance without damage,
and the profound difference between hurt that harms and hurt that heals.

Their writing is supported by research and quotes from experts like Jay Wiseman, Midori, and Dottie Easton. They offer a fascinating look at why TTWD work the way they do. I can’t recommend it enough.

Speaking of recommend, I was thinking I need to do a page for blogs that I recommend. It seems like this is a new WordPress thing and I thought it sound kind of cool. I saw on reader the place that you can click recommend for a blog. So I did that, and it says that the blog was added to my recommend page. Only I don’t have a recommend page. So I don’t even know how that’s supposed to work. I guess I’ll have to go look at WordPress directions again. Not my favorite thing to do, but that’s OK.

It’s taken me forever to write this post because I’m trying to dictate instead of type to protect my strained wrist. Apparently, having a Kentucky/Georgia accent doesn’t always work well with dictation. It is amazing the things that it thinks I’m saying.

This is the last day of my lovely four day holiday. I’m planning to make the most of it. It’s been an enjoyable four days for the most part, even though it hasn’t worked out exactly the way I planned. But that’s just how life is, right? It’s been surprisingly good anyhow. I’m hoping life is smooth and fun for you as well. Or smooth as it can be.

I would love to hear your thoughts on either of the blogs I shared today. Let me know what you think in the comments or email me.