There’s a demon that haunts my
Every waking hour.
I cannot speak its name for that calls
It into being.
It is my eternal companion.
When I find myself in bed at night,
Thoughts running at the speed of light,
It whispers in my ear,
“Don’t worry, I’ll never leave you.”
And it tells the truth.
As much as you wish it away,
Pray it away,
Medicate it away,
It
Will
Never
Truly
Leave
You.
Others think that it’s gone
Because its shadow no longer follows behind me,
But I alone know that it is buried deep inside,
Waiting for the perfect crack to slip through.
The burden I carry is mine alone.
Others don’t see it,
Don’t feel it,
Don’t scream at it in the night.
“Why won’t you leave me?”
“Just leave me.”
I cannot speak its name for once you do,
It becomes a shame you must carry
With you all your days.
Can you guess its name?
Shh.
Don’t speak it aloud.
You’ll call it into being.
