Ever feel yourself rotting from the inside out?
Not dying fast, not dramatically, just slowly.
Every day, a little colder.
Every night, a little emptier.
Until you look in the mirror
and don’t even recognize the person staring back.
I never wanted this.
I never wanted to be the hollow one,
the one who can’t even remember what joy feels like.
But here I am.
Nights stretch on forever,
and the noise inside my chest won’t stop
like a lion tearing itself apart,
screaming to be free.
And I just lie there,
letting it kill me, piece by piece.
I’ve broken myself in ways no one will ever see.
Crossed lines I swore I wouldn’t.
Not because I wanted to,
but because pain leaves you desperate.
Because for one second, one moment,
I just wanted it to stop.
And all of this, all this damage
came from caring. From loving.
And love, I’ve learned, is nothing but lethal.
People see the mask and they believe it.
They lean on me, laugh with me,
cling to the hope I pretend to carry.
But inside, I’m sinking.
I’m screaming.
And no one hears me.
So I break down in the only place I can
alone, at night, by the sea.
Crying so hard the waves have to swallow the sound.
Because at least the ocean doesn’t ask questions.
At least the ocean lets me drown.
And maybe that’s the truth of it all
I’m already drowning.
I’ve been drowning for so long
-
Author:
kheza (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: August 18th, 2025 04:57
- Comment from author about the poem: Inspired by someone else’s words, rewritten in my own way
- Category: Short story
- Views: 4
Offline)
Comments2
A dark passage and a deep sea. Feelings of being ineffectual and unimportant adrift on time's seas. Well written
Thank you
You are most welcome
A feeling of comeplete hopelessness and insecurity at their place in the world, nicely expressed and written
I appreciate
You are very welcome
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