teach me how to breathe again when doomsday comes
it is around the corner, halfway across the surface of the world
and when it comes, my lungs will constrict; they will fail me
~
please, teach me not to fail wholeheartedly
teach me how to stomach staying in the moment
five senses skill—ready, go
make me breathe in and out, deep and slow
brainwash me with your pretty words
walk me like a dog
hypnotize me with your normalcy
immortalize me with your goodness
show me where to go, what to do,
where to eat, where to sleep, where to piss,
where to cry, where to numb my bones
wherever I must go to survive, take me there
take me away; take me all the way,
and I will follow
~
guide me through this time like a child,
though the school year is over and long gone;
the bell rang out a final time
years ago, and everything went stagnant
and the screen turned to black;
I can still hear the static
distract me from the fuzzy, devastating reality
where memories and feelings collide
and maim and kill before they disappear,
only to reappear when we catch our breath
to torture our minds and feast on our hearts
~
it is only a matter of time before doomsday—
it is only a breath away
and after one doomsday comes the next
and the next
and
the
next
until we are remnants
of ourselves
~
when the unspeakable happens,
what else can we do but follow?
we stumble down our paths as we always have,
kicking rocks, heavy-hearted, still breathing
the same, but changed forevermore
in these times, what is there to learn?
what else in this life is here to be taught
besides all the things that truly matter,
the nameless, faceless things without comprehensible answers?
oh, these solutionless times
these life-altering moments
that seem to come and go as simply
as a warm breeze on a spring day
in the times of old,
where the wind whipped in our faces,
when we had it all and knew none of it
About the Creator
angela hepworth
Hello! I’m Angela and I enjoy writing fiction, poetry, reviews, and more. I delve into the dark, the sad, the silly, the sexy, and the stupid. Come check me out!
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Comments (7)
Well-wrought! "when we had it all and knew none of it" As life unfolds it reveals a strange inversion where knowing replaces having, and the mystery of why the one and the other are so rarely experienced at the same moment also becomes clear. It's hard to believe at first, but this is a good thing.
Such a sense of dread and regret at the same time! The lines "guide me through this time like a child, though the school year is over and long gone;the bell rang out a final time years ago, and everything went stagnant" left me with such an eerie feeling. Very well written, Angela!
Oof, this was so intense and poignant. Loved your poem!
Doomsday feels so close these days. And we do wish for times of old...but times of new will be better! Beautiful, Angela.
Breathtaking work, Angela. I loved this line: -brainwash me with your pretty words.- Simple, yet alluring in a way.
Most days feel like Doomsday, tbh. We don't know how to react to it anymore. "When we had it all and knew none of it" - that's so damn true. Another amazing poem, Angela. I'm going to try and summon Top Story for you 🕯️🕯️
Stunning, as usual. <3