Us Against Them

It's not that I was your cure

Or you were my disease

Not that I was saving you

As you were killing me

 

It's not your illness

Or your dangerous and deadly ways

Not that I'm sick

Unsure how much more I can take

 

It's not that horrible night you were being stalked in the dark

Or the fact that you choose to call me of all people

Not that I could have helped you, they were watching

Now they're always watching

 

It's not that we snuck out, when we aren't supposed to talk

Or that we got caught when we got home

Not the way they interrogated us both

Trying to get the real story

 

It's not that we got stopped by the cops

Or the way we got out of that

Not how we lied when we got home

Determined they shouldn't know

 

It's not the endless hours we spent together

Or them not knowing how it would end

Not even a little do I regret it, 

Though we know they both do

 

It's not your addictions, and relapses, and all of that

Or the way nobody can help you but yourself

Not how I picked you up off the ground when you couldn't stand up

And helped you back to your room

 

It's not the nights I cried

Or the day your cried and I held your hand

Not the stories we shared, 

Even when we shouldn't have

 

It's not the time we spent in the canoe

Or when you were reeling in a fish and we almost tipped

Not the sunsets we watched, the dams

We destroyed, least of all the games we played

 

It's not the hike we took to the falls

Or the visit to the shrine

Not the jokes we made in that church,

As inappropriate as they were

 

It's not the way you light up any room

Or that you got fired from that stupid job

Not when we did the "ice bucket challenge"

Which you said I enjoyed too much

 

It's not how we walked all over downtown

Or when we sat on the edge of that cliff

Not how you insisted on helping me back up, 

Even though we both knew I could do it

 

It's not that you don't censor much for me

Or that you tell me things they won't

Not the things we said, or the things we didn't say

It was something else.

 

It was their fears

And they way They wanted things to be

 

It was their knowledge

Of what we could be capable of

 

It was their corrupt thoughts

Not pausing to listen to us

 

We are who we have become,

And nothing will change that.

Although they may have the power to stop us temporarily

They will never be able to stop us completely.

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741