Ode To Sam (After You Were Gone)

After you were gone
I fell into a hole, dark and deep,
nobody heard me scream, nobody weeps.
the shadows whispered secrets of my shame,
I danced with death like a lover, no name.

you left, and I sank in that bitter tide,
embraced the abyss where my sorrows reside.
I welcomed cold arms, a chilling caress,
thought of you waiting, but found only stress.

I fought those demons, they wore your face,
they laughed as I stumbled, lost in the race.
drank from the bottle, chased my own breath,
became death's mistress, seduced by the death.

then clarity struck with a brutal blow,
if I didn't survive, what would you know?
your life was a gift, not a ticket to hell,
my reckless descent wasn't all that I fell.

it broke my heart knowing I lost the fight,
that your memory dimmed under shadows of night.
if I ceased to exist, then you died in vain,
and I swore to live on, despite all the pain.

A Poem by:
Leslie Williams