It’s an irony that I want to celebrate right now. This poem is one of the five I needed to draft today to make NaPoWriMo’s goal of 30 poems in 30 days. That this poem is dark and sad adds a rather sadistic twist to my celebration for making my goal. But, when Tara’s 100-Word Challenge gave us the word guilt and my work with teens includes struggles and sadness, this is what came out. Be forewarned, though, it could be triggering.
One Left Behind
If only I had known
what you carried inside.
Demons that whispered
such ugly lies day after day,
filling your mind with untruths
until you no longer heard
what the angels said.
If you could have seen
what I saw when I looked at you
or what was in my heart
when thoughts of you crossed my mind;
the way you touched my life
just by being you
in this crazy world.
Now I am left alone
with this hole in my life
no one can fill.
How did I miss
all your pain?
Now the guilt
consumes my soul.
Be sure to stop by Thin Spiral Notebook to find cheerier takes on this prompt.
Part author, part artist, all dreamer 