Flicker

What I never told Him,

What I never told anyone,

is how the darkness nearly consumes me.

It is a memory that flickers in my mind

Like a loose light bulb on the verge of death.

Each profound flash of light cuts through

My bones, seeps into my blood. Once the light

Latches on to the walls of my heart, it searches

For my soul, feeding on my pain as the light finds

His destination. But when the light finally goes out,

I can breathe. I can see. I can be.

When the light goes out,

I am alive.

Yet my loved ones, so innocent and unknowing,

Rescue me when I do not need saving.

I beg them not to change the bulb.

I tell them I can see just fine.

Still, they screw a half cranked

Bulb into the lamp, barely listening

To my plea for the blackest night.

The light flickers.

My lungs are crushed, my vision blurs.

My soul fights, but my heart screams.

I do not want to see.

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© Copyright 2010 by Taylor Sikes