The past keeps running after me with joy and pain.
She yells, “Wait up for me! I have something to say!”
I yell back, “I can’t. I can’t bear to see.”
She yells, “It’s only for a minute. Don’t be so weak.”
And I run faster and faster with every breath,
my hair flying behind me,
my chest burning with every gasp of air,
and my eyes becoming blurry
with flashes of grief.
Why is the past so haunting
even with the smile she brings?
She’s still coming, yelling for me to stop,
but I ignore her
and run faster to the top.
Waiting on the hill to catch my breath,
but when she starts to catch up,
I go running again.
Till my legs are too weak
and my head starts to spin,
I fall to my knees
and catch myself with my hands.
She runs over
and pats my head.
“Why are you running?” she asks.
I close my eyes, not bearing to see.
“I don’t want to remember anything.”
She sits and sighs with dread.
“If you could only see
how blessed you have been.”
And I tell her,
“I can’t look back at them.
Some are happy, and some are sad.
Some are too painful
and mad.”
She says with a bittersweet smile,
“If only you knew.
“You are to look me in the eyes and understand why,
see what you should and shouldn’t have done,
learn from me,
and accept the new.
And you are supposed to keep looking back
to remember their faces,
so when you bow your head,
you can still pray.”
You are supposed to look back
on those heart-filled, sorrowful moments,
so you can see how precious
the good ones really are.
And if you keep running from me,
you will only be on your knees again,
with agony.
You can’t run from the past,
and you can’t hide from the future.
You can face them both in the eyes
and remember
and choose to be happy
with the things they bring.
Whether it’s a trial,
a burden,
a lost old soul,
or a troubling memory,
you are the present.
And you have the power.
What more could you ask for
but to choose to see the bright
and happy?
Remember the springs,
not just the winters.
See the rainbow after the storm,
and look to the flowers
that need rain and sun
to grow.
So I ask,
why run from the past
when you have the power
to change tomorrow?
-
Author:
A.N. (
Offline) - Published: September 1st, 2026 08:48
- Comment from author about the poem: More of a long one with repeating thoughts, but it's what came to me in my free write time, and I thought it had a good idea
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 10
- Users favorite of this poem: peto, Fränz Müller
Offline)
Comments4
The message is a wonderful one that I ask myself always, why do people choose to remember the bad when they with no more effort remember the good. Why choose to be unhappy when there is just as much to be happy about. Nicely put in a personified metaphor. Well done
Thank you!!
You are most welcome A.N.
An epic
The past always catches up
May as well face it
Your writing is constantly improving
Keep it up
Great content
Thank you so much! Indeed, it does. I appreciate your kind words!
This is deeply moving. The way you personify the past as someone chasing you makes the struggle with memory feel so real and human. I especially love the message that healing does not always mean forgetting. It can mean turning around, facing what happened, learning from it, and choosing what to carry forward. “Remember the springs, not just the winters” is such a beautiful reminder that even painful seasons can help us appreciate the joy that follows.
Thank you for your kind words! I'm so happy you got so much out of it!
You are very welcome! I am glad I had the opportunity to experience it, and I truly appreciate you sharing it. It was a pleasure to read, and I am happy it meant something to you as well.
You're welcome! It does indeed mean a lot. Thank you again!
Very well said!
Thank you!
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