Aftermath by Anonymous

                                             Aftermath

Smiles sympathetic
Eyes understanding
Words of condolence
Shrinking
Deflated
Empty.

No licking my wounds in private
No hiding away
No taking a moment to breathe.

A hollow laugh
Jaw tense with the effort of holding it together
Eyes bright, shining with emotion that threatens to spill over
A mask of pain
The invisible wall
Keeping  intruders out
Keeping me in.

Time
Sometimes our enemy
Sometimes our friend
It makes you further away
Further than you ran
Not as far as I want you to be

No chance to forget
When you won't let go
But I don't miss you
Not  even a bit
How can you miss someone
Who treated you as though you didn't matter

Sometimes good things come from bad
And when you can face forward
And not fall
You walk
One step at a time
And never look back