Feed Your Soul
i didn’t run dry
you bled me out
like a carcass
left me propped up
no toe tag to speak of
lights on
‘open for business’ sign lit up
and lying
it’s empty
bound and covered
scrawled with lovely
bold lettering
embossed even
pages numbered
it’s empty
Daphne Shadows
when we take to the streets
no one will know our names
but they will chant our cause
and the lights will never go out
the lamps are burning
off our dead weight
the oil long gone
siphoned by the empty promises
doomed to be repeated
when all the lights go out
is it naive to believe
in happily ever after?
everyone believes
in the end
is it naive to believe
we are here for a purpose?
leaving dead skin cells
as my trail
so you can find me
when i’m lost
when i’m stuck
or is it all just void?
no point at all
i think not
when i wake
in the dead of night
searching for the reasons
i cannot find
remind me
hold me
until the gaping abyss
can no longer see me
take the truth
massage it into my skin
so i can remember
what we are fighting for
By Daphne Shadows
depression is a liar
and a truth teller
buries heads in the sand
illuminates all the wrong
playing the villain
monsters slithering
in the shadows
making home in the hollows
paying rent in love letters
we want someone to know
but we don’t
can never tell
because
playing the hero
winning over the dragons
stepping into the flame
drinking it dry
sparing the hostages
the licking and the char
because we know what it means
to suffer inside a plastic box
nothing to soothe the ill
because we hurt
beneath bricks and mortar
dust and broken bones
we exist within
suffocation
and oxygen masks
writing these silly plot twists
with knives in our spines
emails to our graves
everyone else is a star
brilliant in crimsion hues
our screens are ebony
the colors all filtered out
we can see you
but we can’t feel your warmth
because we hurt enough
we don’t open mouths
because to add more
is to help the vile
add to the mass graves
of tears and open sutures
because we can’t hand you
this filth
your hands are so pretty
and we’re already so dirty
by Daphne Shadows
If your heart hurts, let it.
If you’re feeling angry, listen to why.
If you’re feeling lost, search out the last thing that felt right.
If you feel alone, know you’re not.
And if you feel content or happy, don’t feel guilty. Enjoy it.
We shame ourselves for not feeling how we think we “should” feel. But that’s ridiculously unkind. This world is an insane tornado of emotions, experiences, thoughts, beliefs, changes, adaptations, lines in the sand. There’s so much to it. How could we ever expect ourselves to exist as some perfect form of ‘happy all the time’ human?
moving forward is the only good option
but
the drop down menu is stuck
and the library burned down
the next bus only goes back
the memory is clogged in my throat
someone stole all the maps
they left a post-it note behind
keep going
it says
did they know i’d be here?
why didn’t they wait?
i left my feet at home
i didn’t know i’d need them
i have the feeling
i was supposed to meet someone here
am i late?
did i miss them?
or did they get here before me,
read the note
keep going
it says
what if they thought it was from me?
i could leave some breadcrumbs.
For who you are.
What you feel.
What you know to be true.
What you need.
And I’m not talking about picking up a sign and chanting in a crowd for a cause (though I do believe there’s a place for that, absolutely).
I’m talking about standing up for yourself in your relationships.
Setting boundaries and holding them in a loving, respectful manner. Saying no. Being honest, even if it means someone you love is going to be upset with you.
We act like saying no makes you mean, selfish, evil. And saying yes means you love someone dearly and you’re willing to go the extra mile.
But saying yes is sometimes the very worst thing you could do. Sometimes, a ‘no’, is what everyone involved needs.
Anywho. Wherever you are. Please know that your health matters. How you feel, your needs, your dreams… these things ALL MATTER. Don’t ignore yourself, please. It can be all too easy to ignore what you know you need in times like this.
You matter.
Now act like it.
**hugs**
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
If you were to hold a mirror up to yourself, what would you see?
If your thoughts appeared on your skin, what would you be saying?
It’s good to look within.
Who are you?
Life is really stressful, really painful for me right now.
What you do matters.
What you don’t do matters.
Sometimes, the bravest of us, are those who are willing to say “i’m sorry”, “i don’t understand”, and “i give up but i know i will try again tomorrow”.
If today is harder than you can bear, rest. And try again tomorrow.
