A Letter to My Demons

An Epistolary Poem

Image: Melanie These via Unsplash

---

Dear demons,

I have given you a home.

From season to season,

I’ve offered you freedom to roam.

*

You shy away from the light,

Bask only in darkest shadows.

Ever-growing in might,

Marching me towards the gallows.

*

I have fed your hunger,

Let you devour my sorrow.

Stealing my happiness as plunder,

Taking my tomorrow.

*

The angel is here,

She’s always held me close.

Wiping away every single tear,

Even when I hurt her the most.

*

She is everything to me

Filling my soul with life.

You twist my gaze so you can see,

Forcing me to wield the knife.

*

You dig your claws deep,

Your screeches echo all around,

My heart breaks as the angel weeps,

Our ship has run aground.

*

I see familiar faces,

Reflected in your eyes.

Mother, father, empty spaces,

Trauma in disguise.

*

So go now, and do not return,

I will become the person she desires.

This dark past I will now burn,

Taking only my lessons from the fires.

*

This promise I make,

To her and to thee.

Goodbye my demons,

Sincerely, Me.

---