There’s a small fragment
vulnerable, delicate
In an adult voice, I reassure myself
she won’t be abandoned this time

There’s guilt, shame, sadness
that touches everything loved
and I have to tell myself
that none of it is my fault

There’s pain, powerful, enigmatic
that threatens to submerge
if I don’t remind myself
I can endure it

There’s potential in a sudden ending,
in one faltering window of weakness
so I keep a promise to myself
I won’t try it again

There’s the temptation of oblivion
in numbness, or smiles on skin
but I restrain myself, knowing
I only need to breathe

There’s plummeting despair, that drops
into darker, unexplored depths
and there’s only one thing to tell myself;
It will pass

All of it will pass.

Photo credit: Camera Eye Photography, Creative Commons