Poetry & Short Stories

Afraid of the Dark

Was feeling very angsty and definitely stayed up too late so anyways enjoy this lump of melodrama🫶
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Should I be afraid of the dark?
It may be too cold, too lonely, too isolating
But in my heart I know
with a flick of the light switch,
I'd be surrounded by people

And maybe they'd love me
Maybe they'd smile at me
Maybe they'd give me crumbs of happiness
Maybe they'd feed me kind words

They'd want things from me, of course
We all want something
I want love and they want... me?
No, that can't be right.

But I wouldn't want to let them down
So I'd give and I'd give
I'd worship them until my knees break
I'd write them letters with my tears
I'd feed them my brain,
As if my thoughts would save them

I'd pitch tents made of my bones,
I'd lay my skin over them like blankets
I'd rip my heart from my chest, and
I'd hand it to them with shaky hands
I'd ask "did I make you happy?"

"Is this enough yet?"
It never is.

I'd watch them walk away:
Desecrating my place of worship,
Burning my letters,
Tossing aside my thoughts
Like spoiled leftovers,

Kicking over my tents
Tearing my blankets apart
Prodding my heart with their back toward me
Seeing how much it'd take to
Crush it between their fingers

So should I be afraid of the dark?
It may be cold, and lonely, and isolating
But it doesn't ask for anything
It doesn't want for anything

It simply envelopes you, takes you in, holds you tight
And makes sure you can't see
the pieces of yourself. The scattered, broken, fragments
You had worked so hard to sew back together last time

It lets you fall apart a thousand times
It watches you pick up the pieces and hands you the glue
It listens to your sobs and drys your cheeks
It never speaks but it also never judges

No matter how many times I'm torn apart
It's always there, just as unflinching as the last time
So I'm not afraid of the dark
I'm afraid of the light