For You Who are Sad, Like Me
<p>Hands on my face<br />
pull down my skin, stretching<br />
the wrinkles that betray my thirty-eight<br />
years on this Earth hiding</p>
<p>my real self from those who would<br />
rip it apart.</p>
<p>Heavy, heavy heart pregnant<br />
with unwelcome thoughts. Down<br />
down, down I go like sagging<br />
skin melting</p>
<p>into a pool of lost hopes.</p>
<p>Cheery bird, cheer up, life<br />
is good and full, not just of<br />
sorrow but also<br />
joy.</p>
<p>Will I fly again? Or will<br />
my smile now and forevermore be tainted<br />
by what cannot be, tucked away<br />
behind the closed doors</p>
<p>of my wintering lips.</p>
<p><em>Author’s note: Sometimes we know why we are sad, and sometimes we don’t. I share this poem as an honest reflection of feelings I carry today. I hope that reading it gives you permission to grieve what needs to be grieved, to wonder if things will ever change, to cry or yell or lie down and just BE with your feelings. And if your sadness feels unbearable, or heavier than you can manage, please get help. Call a friend, a therapist, or a doctor and know this: you are not alone.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/dust-joy/for-you-who-are-sad-like-me-b57d627e1dfd"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>