Talking To Shadows

• Ruby May, Grade 7
• Poetry
• 2015

I try really hard to see you. I want us to forget I hated the way we looked when our smile was gone and all that was left was the dry skin round our lips.
But remember everyone deserves to be sad. I understand you may be angry because I didn’t know better, I try to know, I try to heal our face, I try to stop our anger ripping away at our fingertips.
I try to sleep without seeing flames swallowing the ones we love. We can forget we hurt them, we can forget we bruised them and watched the blood drip down as it stained their cheeks and we know they wanted to bruise us back.
But they didn’t. We ended up crying cold tears of shame. But why? They never hurt us.
This haunts my mind staying clear as pure water. I try so hard to let it go misty. Why does the water stay so clear? I can see my reflection getting eaten by the waves as it swirls in my mind like the ocean is mad at me.
The sun tries to burn my skin leaving it red and sore.
It lets it peel away like I deserve to be only bones.
Why does it let me go through this pain?
It tries to blind me. So I can’t see you.