Tortured Artists Yield Loss Over Remembrance: Acceptance

April 20th, 2024

How can I call this the end
When we never really started
You got me attached to you
And then you departed
I’m tired of looking for people
That remind me of you
Because looking for you
Isn’t what I’m meant to do
We’re not Noah and Allie
This was my odyssey
Now it’s my manuscript
And you aren’t in my prophecy
Seeing you was like a river
Something that could consume me
And I could dive in
But I could never be happy
You called me a scaredy cat
As I ignored your fourth message in a row
But you maimed me first
We both needed to let go
Now that you’re a memory
It’s something I’m forced to keep
But I’m past the countless nights
I spent awake without sleep
Moving on from you
I spent three months sober
So I could fully accept
That things were actually over
You’ve got my computer accessories
I’ve got a recording of Sleep Talk
I lost someone who didn’t care about me
While you let someone who loved you walk
During the times you looked me in the eyes
I guess I mistook the semblance
I’m not sure how you could fake that
Now I yield loss over remembrance
You gained my trust
So you could break it
You wanted my love
So I let you take it
I am a fool
And I hate it
But in this crime
I was complaisant 
You were barely tangible
If I’m being realistic
And like you said
We never existed
And you might not know it yet
But I think I’m the loss of your life
You will never know the honor
Of having me as your wife
If they ask me how it ended, it didn’t
And I think I’m okay with that
Because like I’ve said before
I hope you don’t come back
So long, whoever you were
Because this was never fun
So I’ll continue with my search
Of looking for the one
There are 8 billion people in this world
And now I am most certain
That you were one of many
Who will never be my person

Note: This is part five of my pentalogy, which I’ll be posting in reverse order. The parts can be read independently, in sequence, or backward. While the date states I wrote this on April 20th, 2024, the poetry spans from pieces I began and left unfinished over the past two years. April 20th is the day the idea for this story first came to me, and I pulled all of my writing together. I spent about four months working on finishing this, and I’m excited to finally share it!

Tortured Artists Yield Loss Over Remembrance (The Pentalogy)

Part 1: Denial
Part 2: Anger
Part 3: Bargaining
Part 4: Depression
Part 5: Acceptance

Retrograde (What Happens Now?)

April 9th, 2024

Do you know the effects of Mercury
Because I’ve been thinking lately
About what you might be thinking lately
But you never wanted to date me
I think you’re missing me
I feel your energy
Not sure if I’m being naive
Because maybe it’s just me
I told you I was depressed
Is that why you decided to crush me
Filled my heart with breadcrumbs
And let me live in a fantasy
The vibes that you gave
Were always hot and cold
You were the perfect mixture
Of neutral
I remember what we were both wearing
When I saw you last
Then you tossed me out
Like the rest of your trash
I always tried to wear red for you
Like the Megan and Liz song
You’re so bad for me
The lyrics were never wrong
I remember when I filled up my ice box for you
The small gestures that you never knew
Because I remembered you liked extra
I did more for you than you would ever do
The memories tucked away in crevices of my brain
That container of strawberries that you ate
Things I don’t know why but I remember
I guess that’s just how I operate
All this stress for a guy who couldn’t spell “I’d”
Where do you see an ‘e’ in I would?
Yet I wonder if you still think about surprising me
When you drive through my neighborhood
Do you still think of me when you’re watching TV
And you see Jenna Ortega or Anya Taylor-Joy
Because I still think of how I gave you my heart
And all you gave me back was a decoy
I watched a scary movie with another guy recently
But it didn’t feel the same
Trying to find a similar connection
But one who wants to share their last name
When all you’ve known is leaving
What if you chose to stay
12 messages in 11 days
Like a prison sentence they replay
The last message you sent me
Said you won’t be available for a long while
And I knew that wasn’t true
Because you’re updating your dating profile
You’re not good for my mental health
Still I created an idea of who you were
You’re probably seeing someone else now
And whispering to her that you miss her
You kept coming back to me
But then you’d change your mind
It was always your decision
And I still got declined
I have a lump in my throat
Wondering how someone could ask so much of me
Then turn away because it wasn’t enough
These thoughts I can’t grasp tangibly
And I’m over here wondering
That maybe it is true
Guys want to feel needed
But I never needed you
What if I made you up
Why am I still thinking about this stuff
You hurt me in ways you never knew
I know an apology will never be enough
You were the wrong person
It was the wrong time
So why do I still long
That one day you will be mine
You played me like an instrument
But you’re not a musician
I think I’ve finally accepted your answer
Because “nothing” will come to fruition

Collaged

March 24th, 2024

If there ever comes a day
That you don’t know me
Just know this about me
There’s always something I keep
The memories live on
I cherish moments of the past
Even in the relationships
That weren’t meant to last
Movies, places, recipes
You’ve left your mark on me
What a beautiful thing
I become a piece of everyone I meet