The Anguish

Dull-edged agony,
shattering
in crescendos
of awareness,
cutting me
from inside out
as I contemplate
the silent highways
of life without you.

I couldn't hold on
and you slipped away,
or is it I let go,
too tired to fight
the bitter truth:
that I will never
grow old with you.

Hot rivers pour
down my face,
my breath is stolen
by the dagger
of reality,
my past come back
to haunt me
like a taunting
restless wraith.

The door to my hope
of salvation,
a modern Mother Mary
taken from me
as though ordained
by God Himself,
a fitting punishment
for one such as I.

The final nail
in the coffin of my heart,
I move to embrace you
and the anguish
of your absence
crushes the light,

burning me
icy cold
until there is nothing,
not even ashes
where once sat
a little boy
sobbing in the dark,
crying out to be held,
afraid of the shadows
he couldn't even see.

Originally published under the nom de guerre twowolves80 at https://allpoetry.com/poem/12836502-The-Anguish-by-Twowolves80