The ghosts haunt me tonight.
As they have all day.
I see them in the mirror
As I wash my hands,
Or brush my teeth.
I hear their whispers
In my ears,
Any time there’s silence.
People tell me there’s no such thing
As ghosts.
They lie.
Every time I stop,
Every time I pause,
Every time there’s silence,
The ghosts are there.
They’re not what you think,
You know.
The ghosts, that is.
Not what you think at all.
Not what this world tells you
They are.
You have them too.
We all have them.
I can see them in you.
When I look in your eyes.
I hear their voices
When you speak.
You’re like me.
Haunted.
By ghosts.
They live in my memories.
In each word I heard
When I was the victim.
When I was the target.
Of words spoken in anger.
Or in fear.
Or in honesty.
Words I heard
When I didn’t fit in.
When I was different.
When I was me.
You’ve heard them.
I know you have.
But the ghosts don’t keep you awake,
In the dark,
In the night,
When life pauses.
And then noise ends.
Replaced by
Silence.
Some of us can’t close our ears.
Can’t cover them.
You think we can.
Because you can.
Because it’s something normal.
Because everyone can.
But I can’t.
And I’m not alone.
And I hear the ghosts each night.
Their voices echo in my mind.
Their words are painted on the walls
Of everything I see,
When I close my eyes.
You can’t be that way.
You can’t believe that.
You can’t think that.
That’s not normal.
You need help.
You failed.
You let me down.
You hurt me.
You’re hurting me now.
The ghosts are there.
They’re real.
They live in my life.
My experiences.
My memories.
And I can never be rid of them.
They live in you too.
If you look.
I know.
I’ve seen them.
I’ve heard them.
They color everything you do.
Everything you say.
They define
What you believe.
How you live.
Who you are.
And you can’t see them.
You can’t see them at all.
But I do.
The ghosts are real.
This much I know.
I hear them now.
In the silence.
In the dark.
In the night.
In all the memories I have.
Of life.
It’s April 8th, the 7th day of the A to Z Challenge for 2016. Only 19 more letters to write stories for this month.
Please, go explore the A to Z Challenge, and the sites of others who are participating in this adventure.