the week after
you take your life
your best friend
will feel the same splintering of her heart
every time she remembers
you won't ever laugh with her again
she will not relearn the rhythms
of her daily life
instead, she will leave the open seat
pack the extra orange
text you all about her life
and how much she wishes
you were there to experience it beside her
the week after
your favorite teacher
will see your empty spot
and ask where you are
forgetting for a split second
before he sees the whole class flinch at your name
only to be dragged back
into the reality
where you'll never pester him again
never question him endlessly
and never remind him
how much he impacted you
the week after
your biggest supporter
will write you a poem
with every intent of giving it to you
and she will
just not by handing it to you
instead, she will read it at your funeral
only to stop halfway through
because the tears drowned out her voice
and she knows the girl in the coffin
can't tell the difference
the week after
you crush
will hear someone talking about oreos
and think of you
she'll send a voice memo
asking something random
like how they used the restroom
in the victorian era
before realizing
you'll never be there
to hear it
the week after
your disappearance
will start affecting not only those you held close
but also people you didn't know
had been pulled into your gravity
the girl you sit by in first block
will miss your daily smiles
the school counselor
will wonder what more she could have done
the random person on the internet
will miss your poems
the week after
the ripples of your impact
will spread farther
than you would have ever imagined
and though the world keeps spinning
there are people who feel frozen in time
because nothing could prepare them
for the emptiness
you
left
behind
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 11:22 AM UTC
the week after
you take your life
your best friend
will feel the same splintering of her heart
every time she remembers
you won't ever laugh with her again
she will not relearn the rhythms
of her daily life
instead, she will leave the open seat
pack the extra orange
text you all about her life
and how much she wishes
you were there to experience it beside her
the week after
your favorite teacher
will see your empty spot
and ask where you are
forgetting for a split second
before he sees the whole class flinch at your name
only to be dragged back
into the reality
where you'll never pester him again
never question him endlessly
and never remind him
how much he impacted you
the week after
your biggest supporter
will write you a poem
with every intent of giving it to you
and she will
just not by handing it to you
instead, she will read it at your funeral
only to stop halfway through
because the tears drowned out her voice
and she knows the girl in the coffin
can't tell the difference
the week after
you crush
will hear someone talking about oreos
and think of you
she'll send a voice memo
asking something random
like how they used the restroom
in the victorian era
before realizing
you'll never be there
to hear it
the week after
your disappearance
will start affecting not only those you held close
but also people you didn't know
had been pulled into your gravity
the girl you sit by in first block
will miss your daily smiles
the school counselor
will wonder what more she could have done
the random person on the internet
will miss your poems
the week after
the ripples of your impact
will spread farther
than you would have ever imagined
and though the world keeps spinning
there are people who feel frozen in time
because nothing could prepare them
for the emptiness
you
left
behind
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