A prompt from deepwildcoaching:
“Write about a presence that still walks beside you. Something you’ve lost, a memory, or a part of yourself that refuses to disappear.”
i: the void you left behind
Whether it’s through
the erosion of time
or
something more permanent,
I will never forgive you
for abandoning me & leaving behind a crater.
The neglect wound
is shaped like you
and leaves behind
a scar.
Each of you brought
a unique self
into my life,
and it’s like the hourglass
shattered and snatched you
back —
one by one.
Until I was left
without.
Simply clutching
delicate fragments of myself and memories.
ii: exhuming memories
The memory that walks
beside me
is this.
The moment I walked
into a hospital room
a minute after he passed,
she told us
to say goodbye.
I remember it well.
His bright topaz eyes
lost their luster before me.
His gaze went dark.
His skin from soft to rigid
as we sat,
tears numbing our cheekbones.
We cried all day,
emptying our bodies
of every tear we possessed.
Even the sky separated
and wept with us.
So many memories,
but the dead deserve
their goodbyes told, too —
not buried six feet underground.
iii: the lost girl finding herself
Hand in hand,
this part of me refuses to flicker, refuses to
fade.
Some might grow
sheepish of this part,
even embarrassed
of this lost little girl,
but I’ve learned to love
all parts of myself.
The little girl in my soul
for so long
waited for permission
to come out & play.
She danced & twirled
in a quiet part
of my heart —
offbeat and yet,
a little timid.
Her clothes were loud,
and yet,
she was scared.
She wanted to be noticed,
and yet,
at the same time,
she wanted to hide.
Today,
she stepped out
in her favorite dress
and no longer waited
for permission.
Just played.
Danced & twirled
out loud.
This lost little girl
is finally finding herself.
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