I Own My Suffering… It Doesn’t Own Me

by Paul Tristram / July 3rd, 2016

I cope and I manage
the best that I can,
sometimes
by the skin of my teeth.
Keeping level is a struggle,
always,
there are just so many
triggers these days.
I do not tolerate
mean spirited people anymore
and the shallow ones
I have to ignore
because they’ve become alien
to me now.
Loneliness is indeed
a double-edged sword,
there’s a healing
and pause for reflection there
but also festering,
coldness and emptiness.
Most people are broken
by something or someone,
I have all of that too
but I’m more disappointed
with myself.
I had too great of expectations-
not about life
because life is beautiful,
magical and wonderful-
but of people.
I let them get in the way
of the horizon,
where they whipped
and lynched my soul.
And with broken
rose-tinted spectacles
smashed
from my unbelieving face
they helped me see
the truth about carefulness at last.

Paul Tristram is a widely published Welsh writer who deals in the Lowlife, Outsider, and Outlaw genres.  He wrote his first poem as a teenager following his release from the (Infamous) Borstal ‘HMP Portland’, and he has been creating Literary Terrorism ever since.  His novel ‘Crazy Like Emotion’ is available to purchase right here . Also his collection of shorter fiction Kicking Back Drunk ‘Round The Candletree Graves' is available to purchase at https://bookgoodies.com/a/B0DFMTSR4F Both books are published by Close To The Bone Publishing. Read other articles by Paul, or visit Paul's website.

This article was posted on Sunday, July 3rd, 2016 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.