I'm Gone
A Guide for Vanishing
For Vocal's Disappearing Challenge
Let go of your presence- on your terms.
π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
1. Start in the evening.
Light from your window must bend--
Enough to mar the edges
Of your soul.
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2. Unname yourself.
Store the Alphabets in a box.
Leave it by the window.
Let the birds peck its sides--
Like forgotten worms.
π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
3. Wear silence like a hat.
Worn. Veils the head and face.
Your speech in glances--
Or muted.
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π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
4. Walk with your memories.
Pick one that mattered.
Embrace it.
It mutes sour souls.
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5. Let your shadow fly.
Let the breeze give it wings.
Let it forget where you are.
π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
6. Find a place for nameless souls.
A place for small voices.
For the hush of a butterfly's wing.
The silence before the never "yes"--
To unanswered sounds.
π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
7. Forget the sound of your heartbeat.
Make your body still,
Soundless.
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8. Don't answer when they call.
Let your absence fill the space
Left in the room
A vastness
None can fill.
π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
9. Love Stillness.
Not stillness of time.
But the stillness of life.
The kind the heart knows--
That doesn't ask or wait.
π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
10. Don't look back.
The world will name more souls.
Not yours.
That's the way it is.
π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯π«₯
Original poem by Michelle Liew. AI tags are coincidental.
About the Creator
Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin
Hi, i am an English Language teacher cum freelance writer with a taste for pets, prose and poetry. When I'm not writing my heart out, I'm playing with my three dogs, Zorra, Cloudy and Snowball.
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More stories from Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin and writers in Poets and other communities.
The Ritual of Winter Challenge Winners
Welcome to the Winners Announcement for The Ritual of Winter challenge. This prompt focused on winter rituals and the meaning that settles into them over time. The top pieces stay grounded in ordinary acts and repeated routines, letting winter shape the work through pace, attention, and restraint.
By Vocal Curation Team6 days ago in Resources
Comments (5)
π Someone's going to take all these instructions and one day perfect a disappearing spell ;)
I must say nicely penned, You know your words captured and mesmerized me as i read, Applause,
I think you've set the bar pretty high with this one, Michelle. Well done!
This is awesome! Good luck with the challenge.
Oooo, this was fantastic. I especially loved number 2!