Lauren Greenslet
Disclosed
The misconception about the dark is that all it brings is destruction
But let’s not forget the light that would be nothing without it
Let’s not forget the shadows it birthed so one could strike up a match in the first place
The souls it held onto in order for them to finally find themselves
The way it gripped onto them so tight saying, “Not yet, you’re almost there.”
People are scared of darkness because it cannot be tamed
They can’t hold it, the only place they can is in their minds
Even then why should you fear something you can’t run from?
The stars in the night sky shown through as the previews of who we truly are
Too many of us mistook ourselves for guardian angels when we were there all along
Pieces plastered along the darkest shade of blue, glued there as checkpoints
Places to point to and say, “I’ll make it there.”
And not once did we realize the darkness meant starting anew
You arrive unannounced but all at the same time you’re obnoxiously loud
The way you drag your feet across the floor has me presuming, poking, pointing…
curious.
The words you form are a story that hid behind your lips for too long
It rotted your teeth and ate you from the inside out
Kept you waiting for the right time
Unknowingly, it hammered your bones with every line of “you’re not good enough”
It picked apart your veins with the whispers of “don’t even try”
Pulled you right and left with the aching cries of yes and no
You never give yourself enough credit for the fact that you made it
- healing, pt. ii
Something Great
She kept going as the stars glanced upon her.
She knew this was going to take awhile.
She would drag her feet at times and slow her pace so her muscles could disentangle
themselves
She would use a tree branch as a crutch to avoid any loss of time
Her nerves ached with fatigue and her eyes wanted nothing more than to reset
Her heart could feel the cracks in the road start to develop within her
Just more and more reason to turn back
This wasn’t the first time she walked through shadows
She never stopped
Her inspiration drew itself in the form of the sky: something untouchable but
believable
Although she wreaked of desperation her mind was set
The tearing of words from sentences and band-aides from bullet holes only fueled her
Her head never once held with shame
Her feet ached by the time she made it
Her hands were dry and she could finally allow her lungs to really exhale
She fell to her knees, opened her arms to the sun and had let the warmth
glaze over her face
She knew this wasn’t an end but merely a new beginning
Something to finally craft into her own
Something to hold onto
Something actually worth the sacrifice
She was ready for it.
Goodbyes
The anxiety of what’s gonna happen after this haunts me already
I can feel my palms become sweaty with the regret of just leaving
Leaving without hugging you, saying goodbye, and nevertheless kissing you
I can see the car headlights illuminating your face and the shadow on your cheek that hides everything neither of us said; the things we should’ve said
Whereas the shattered glass behind your eyes shines with truth
You want to be okay, you really do
I get that
I want you to be okay too