A Reflection Perhaps Complex

A Reflection Perhaps Complex

A faded expression is all I see. Something so somewhat melancholy. A reflection perhaps complex. Cherishing the silence. Regret.

Their words so soft and bright, full of Delight. As if. A smile to reconcile All the woes, comfort found from Forgetfulness, forbidden hope.

Their eyes sparkle like pools Of water in the sun. Sometimes Everything becomes so caught up. Giggles, chatter, talk of

Parties. Dancing, singing and letters Signed with a scribble to signify a kiss. A kiss. A single kiss and memories float Through the air playing delicately with our hair.

Blades of grass stuck in the soles, while Laces become damp and tangled. The keyhole Ominous yet perfect. The lock clicks as we rush inside To a world far from destitute. Wrecked.

Vivid shouts and laughs. Lunches and suppers And mid afternoon tea. The scone sought after. Recklessly. It was good and brilliant and full of Surprise. A bouquet bought, smelt and died.

Cold water to revive the lungs. Whispers gone bedtime And candles melting like the snow on the trees. Cascading happiness the one emotion, though often Excitement becomes apparent as the robin disappears.

Thoughts and feelings rushed. Friends swept off their feet with you By their side. A distant group huddle together outside the dining hall. You picture your face nodding along. You’re not wrong

Except you were never there. Your imagination wild With despair. The cold water used for fun becomes a Tormented punishment. Stunned. Words cannot Contemplate mere existence when reality is

Hazed. When reality is no longer so transparent. Hours of joy that blurred to one now distinct Lies on a page. The recollections of past times

Fake and unimpressive. You see yourself staring

Back. Your eyes bore holes into the etched echoes you Have imprinted onto your mind. The realisation hits As you begin to sink, that this life you have reminisced is False. On the floor now you sob as those harsh words that Broke through create dark images in your head. Everything Thought prior now a shadow of the truth. Lonely,

This world that you have been brought back into. The glistening mirror that helped you imagine a life in which you were exhilarated, gone. Replaced instead By a cold relentless piece of glass.

Your reflection seems perhaps complex. As you cherish the silence. Full of regret.

Mattie Butler

Illustration by Nanaho Miki