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Dylan A May 12
I shouldn’t have opened the box,

because Hope was forced to hope for all evil.


I shouldn’t have checked to see if the cat was dead or alive;

it wasn’t—the hammer didn’t hit—but it starved to death.


I shouldn’t have replaced all my ship’s parts,

now I have two, but the original is still broken.
i think about you all the time
you always manage to cross my mind
in the dark
at school
with my mom
with bee
i see you everywhere
i am always reminded
you did not love me
you didnt really get to know me
and i know you will never see this
i know you wouldnt care
you thinking of me every now and then
is not reward
but entirely painful.
about multiple people
alex May 12
Once upon a time we played pretend
Once upon a time, the game had to end
Once upon a time, I lost a friend.
Once upon a time, I reached my end.

Carefree was I, and carefree was she
In a world of our own we were free.
Safe and sound in our beautiful little dollhouse
Before it crept upon us, silent as a louse.

It came suddenly and took everything we had
The windows of our house grew cracked
The glass became cloudy, we could no longer discern what exactly we were.

Our house was empty
and so were we.
Darkness took over her and me -
Perhaps something they could foresee
But of course they never told me.

Now I have no shoes; my feet are bare.
I am bare.
I stand paper-thin, about to tear.
The cold wind stings, and the rain mats my hair.
The sun burns my skin— but I cannot care.
Esther May 12
you live
in my memories now
and i like to
revisit
every now and then
@2:50am
19/08/24
Esther May 12
for the first time
i understood why children cry
and beg for their favourite toys
not to be taken away

because darling
that's exactly how I feel
when i imagine
ever losing you
@5:57am
28/02/23
Dzdturtle May 11
Dad
Bald on top,
flipping a ‘50s
Duck’s *** in the back.
A T-shirt when you weren’t wearing one,
and that short, see-through house coat.
Old Gold on your breath,
those disgusting kisses
I wanted but feared.

You didn’t get upset when I accidentally hit your things.
You danced. You played euchre.
You’re my Victor.
You called me beautiful, no matter what.

Your happiest—
headphones on, making a mix tape,
gardening in the Fords at dusk,
Pabst Blue Ribbon with the boys,
figuring out why the birds
didn’t use your feeder.

You also said,
“If you’re in a guy’s room with your shirt off,
it’s too late to say no.”
Taking my consent
when I needed trust from you.
I still do.

Blue gas stovetop.
Camping.
A yellow “Turn Ahead” sign.
Teasel burrs clung to your leg
Life. Heck of a party
Written on your tombstone

You were fun.
You were broken.
You were both my protector
and the first one
who confused
love with fear.

As I trip on the floor,
watching you come
down the hall,
with your hand out.
Salwa May 11
It flew away.
I stood there, helpless—awfully aware
Of how close I was to the edge of despair.
I watched the wind steal the thread
I had held onto for so long with my bare hands.

My eyes darted across the scene,
The red thread dancing with the wind.
I turned,
Tried to catch it,
Or at least follow its traces
To find what I did wrong—

Only to see the ground crack beneath me.
The once peaceful house,
Burnt to ash.
Windows broken,
Wood burning,
Smoke rising—
Damage that can’t be restored.

Memories escape
With every last breath the house takes,
With every curl of smoke, every scattered trace.

It flew away—
The last bit of hope I had.
All I owned, burnt to ash.
The dreams I had now seem so small.
I lost myself
In the name of saving what I love..
But was it ever mine to hold?
-s
For the moments when holding on feels heavier that letting go.
Vicky Donald May 11
I never held you close or tight,

Or rocked you softly through the night.

No lullabies, no tiny cries-

Just shattered dreams and silent skies.



Twelve weeks along, and yet I knew,

You were my son, my heart, my view.

They said, “It’s early”, like that made

The ache less sharp, the loss less weighed.



But love begins before the birth,

In quiet hope and growing worth.

I pictured you with eyes like mine,

A life ahead, a steady line.



And then-just gone, no warning sign.

No reason, sense, or sacred sign.

They called it chance, they called it fate,

But none of that could change the weight.



I raged, I wept, I fell apart,

I mourned you with a mother’s heart.

Though tiny, still you changed my soul,

You made a space I can’t make whole.



Thirteen long years, and still you stay,

In thoughts that never drift away.

In quiet hours, when no one sees,

You rise again on every breeze.



No birthdays came, no toys, no shoes,

Just love-and grief I didn’t choose.

But still I say, with voice held high:

You lived, you mattered, and you lie



Beneath my ribs, within my chest-

A name the world can’t quite digest.

But I will say it, bold and true-

My son, my love, I carry you.
Cadmus May 11
~

Don’t grow up.

~

ITS A TRAP

~
Adulthood promises freedom, but often steals wonder.
Joshua Phelps May 11
it’s hard
not to feel
withdrawn

when the ones
you love

have crossed
to the other
side.

they’re
never gone,

but it feels
so wrong—

like a song
out of tempo,
out of place.

and you know
nothing can
bring them back,

but still
you do your best
to stay strong.

because life
never stops,

and the ones
you’ve lost

are never
gone.
inspired by mayday parade’s “happy endings are stories that haven’t ended yet.”

written in memory of my mom—gone in body, never in spirit.

this is for anyone trying to carry love through the silence.
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