Poets logo

Hero’s Requiem

A Poem to Socially Dead Heroes

By Stephanie HoogstadPublished 3 years ago 1 min read
Hero’s Requiem
Photo by Kyle Larivee on Unsplash

This poem is dedicated to everyone who has ever had to bury their hero—even before they’ve died.

I died the day I buried my hero

The biggest part of me thrown in that coffin

Of Tweets and ill-conceived essays

An entire identity stiff and shriveled up

From rigor mortis

My heart aches and mourns

The person I once knew

Tears shed for someone I could be proud of

Someone I no longer recognize

Questioning myself

As much as I question her

Staring in the viewing window

Of that hastily made coffin

A new nail hammered in it day after day

I watch the image staring back at me

And wonder

Did I ever know that person at all?

sad poetry

About the Creator

Stephanie Hoogstad

With a BA in English and MSc in Creative Writing, writing is my life. I have edited and ghost written for years with some published stories and poems of my own.

Learn more about me: thewritersscrapbin.com

Support my writing: Patreon

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments (3)

Sign in to comment
  • Shirley Belk2 years ago

    Being in love with the idea of love can make one a living target. I appreciate your poem.

  • Cathy holmes2 years ago

    This is so good. I know exactly what you mean.

Find us on social media

Miscellaneous links

  • Explore
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Support

© 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.