Dark Poetry

Labyrinth

Stop, stop... stop living this dream!

I heard her say. I wouldn’t answer, nor would I look up. She was disappointed in me... to the point where she had started to loath me. She never said these things out loud, but I knew it was there, a certain hatred for me.

Just quit your fantasies!!

It’s no good ... I just can’t. I’ve tried before, but I just never could.

Then just quit trying...

But how? As long as I’m alive, I won’t be able to stop.

Just face it... face the truth.

But this is the truth... my world is the truth.

No, no. You’re not understanding.

You’re the one who’s not understanding.

You’ll never be that famous pianist that you thought you could be. You’ll never be that artist with all her artwork in a gallery. You’ll never meet the requirements to become that great singer that would sell three million copies of an album in one day. You just won’t be that author that people would die to meet. You’ll never live in a world where everyone is on your side. So just quit your stupid dreams and come back to reality...

Reality? I’ve been feeling so much lately that I don’t even know what it’s like anymore...

No, that’s not it... Not too much, but none at all.

Is that reality? Because it hurts to know that no one cares anymore. Well, I can’t even tell what it’s like to hurt now; I’ve been numb all along.

No, they care. Everyone cares about you—

You’re wrong. They don’t care about me... they don’t care about what happens to me. They just care about themselves. If I don’t make this life a good one, it might affect others. That’s all they care about...

You have a point...but it’s not like you have a choice anymore.

I never had one to begin with.

But you did! You had many, many choices. They asked you what you wanted. You had the right to pick!

Yes, but none of those choices matter when they all lead to the same ending.

Well, that’s not true! You never know what could’ve happened if you chose the other...

Life is like a labyrinth. You are shoved through a door and locked into your own labyrinth when you are born. And there, you stand at the beginning, alone. Then you go through Life’s many twists and turns and get the choices to pick what may seem the correct door. You have so many choices to choose from but when you get to the end, there will only be one door: the door of Death. There isn’t a choice anymore.

That doesn’t mean anything though. You could still have enjoyed your journey through the labyrinth and had fun.

Yes, yes, I could have. But I couldn’t. Because when I was born, I was already at Death’s door.

I have nothing more to say...

She vanished and I was once again all alone. I sat in a fetal position against one of the three walls that surround me. I looked up and stared at the old door and turned back to hug my knees. “Come back,” I whispered, “I’m lonely here...” I gave my own shadow a sad look. “Please?” But she never answered. I guess she was sick of me by now. I’ve sat here for so long, I’ve lost track of time.

I was afraid. I didn’t want to die, because I didn’t want to lie under the dirt and just ... lay there. I wouldn’t be able to do anything, think anything, nor see anything. I wouldn’t know what’s going on outside. But it’s not like my death would have any effect on anyone.

Sometimes, I wish, somehow someone broke out of their labyrinth and came into mine.

It didn’t matter who, what, when, where, or why they left their labyrinth. I just wanted someone to talk to. But it seems like I’ve ruined it all. I might as well never have been born if I wasn’t going to have a choice. This was cruel. I stood up, my legs were shaky, but I didn’t care. I made a step toward the giant door that loomed over me. I took another step and another and another until I was standing less than a foot away. I lift a hand and let it float toward the door.

Whatever waited on the other side didn’t matter anymore. I touched the tips of my fingers to the wood and gave it a light push. The doors creaked open and a bright light shined through, obstructing my vision. I allowed myself a smile of contentment and walked forward. I heard the doors close behind me and I knew no more.