THE DARK AIN'T THE ENEMY

By M.M.Wake

the light is a liar.

it paints over the cracks,

makes everything look

clean, holy, unbroken.

but the dark,

the dark doesn't give a damn.

it lets things be what they are.

it doesn't try to sell you redemption

or wipe the dirt off your hands.

it just sits there, heavy, hanging

waiting for you to be honest.

you ever sit alone at night,

just you and the hum of the fridge,

a drink sweating in your hand,

the streetlamp outside

flickering like a bad idea?

that's the dark telling you the truth.

no bullshit, no pretty words.

just you, your ghosts, and the taste

of whatever you still can't swallow.

people say they're scared of the dark,

but it's the daylight that'll gut you.

it's the morning that'1l make you

pull your bones together,

slap on a smile, pretend

you never heard what the night

was trying to tell you.

#darkpoetsclub #shortlist