You want to forget all the things that they said,
you want to forget all the things that they did.
You want to forget all their treachery & sin,
you want to forget all the times they tried to do you in.
You want to forget all the hurt & the lies,
you want to go through just one day without crying.
You want to forget all the lying & cheating,
you want to forget the sadness of all your grieving.
You want to forget the love that did you wrong,
you want to forget the times you were not strong.
You want to forget the times you were cruel,
you want to forget the classes you took in school.
You want to forget your backtalk & your rage,
you want to stuff your dark parts into a cage,
or a box, & lock the sick things down with a key—
Sure, you can, but it won’t be easy,
because the Box of Pain will open again & again.
We are not perfect; we try not to live in vain
but mistakes & depression will rear their ugly head,
& we often become helpless with dread—
Can we be better? Can we follow the light?
Can we say “Good night” to the night?
Impossible! We were born flawed & slow,
fallen feathers & leaves upon the snow.
None of us is born without pain,
our hearts beat wildly as a runaway train.
We must deal with our own darkness as we go.
Hopefully the madness of our minds won’t grow
as they take apart our lives, sinew by sinew— As tears flow freely, green shoots spark from the ground, anew.