Return To Innocence
Tears streamed down kohl-lined eyes
Black trails down tear ravaged face
I wail against the heavens, naked and broken
Water fails to wash me clean. My impurity
Stains like ink on my soul; steam is useless
The night of my disillusionment looms
Forged and branded in time memories
Water drops jolt me as I drift away
I stand in front of the mirror
And a stranger stares right back
Pain-filled eyes set in a youthful lined face
Bitter laughter pry cruelly from pursed lips
My former glory seems a distant past
Only death is solace; my return to innocence
The deadly virus already staked its claim
Its latent power not yet fully unleashed
It eats into my soul as termites’ does wood
My life force drains; gaunt features belly age
Day blur into day, the nights seem never-ending
Jeering faces swim past as I walk by
The scarlet letter branded without trial
They shrink back in the face of my leprosy
I am shunned and shut off like a monster
While faceless ones roam free unshadow by eyes
It does not matter, I will be silent soon
Give up, the mirror cracks; jagged pieces fights
Give up, my flesh has not yielded
Give up, my reflection slowly gasps in pain
Convulsive laughter echoes madness and desolation
I can’t stop, the fates played their joke on me
It cannot get any worse. I am wrong
I see a candle or maybe an illusion
Either ways, it dawns- the damage is done
My womb is a vessel for unplanned birth.
- Charis