There are things in life that words cannot heal.
broken smile
dusty veins
no man is an island
how to reach with
leaden hands
hollow arms
regret pulls in too close
can’t look away
sodden face
sightless eyes
without you, without me
too lost to stay
barren soul
hopeless breath
bring the heaviness high
no turning back
open head
empty heart
I thought a lot
about regret
as the coffin lid lowered.
Things I hadn’t
done. More that I
had.
Life was a beautiful
mystery.
An understatement.
I didn’t get it then
still don’t.
Everyone wore black
because
isn’t that what people do?
I wore black too.
Conformist.
I longed for pink
or green
or yellow.
Yellow would be
nice.
The faces around me
were smudged
teardrops like rain.
Gray
and more gray
just like black.
Umbrellas everywhere.
I wondered
if they were really
alive.
It seemed fitting
the sun didn’t shine.
It was yellow
after all.
Too nice.
The satin felt cold or
maybe that was
me.
I thought a lot about
regret
as the coffin
lid
lowered.
Kacey Vanderkarr 