Ashes

Haunting memories break the surface, struggling for air to breathe and space to occupy. Quiet dread fills my heart, enslaved by liquid lungs. Panic at these bones that I had buried. Stay down in the peaceful dirt. But some things will never lie still. Truth breaks free, coloring the gray. I guess it's no more than I deserve. The girl that was once stuffed in closets, crammed under beds. As this ancient relic comes forth to stake a claim on my life. I remember being drunk on sunshine, intoxicated by lilacs, with the underlying hint of rotten apples. So, go to sleep, little angel. Fly away into the sun. Leave me in peace with what I have done. Turn away, little memory. Remember however you choose but I am far too good now to wallow in deceit, filth and tar. I have now a comfortable bed to lie in and solitude. I own all of my tragedies, my flaws, my mistakes. I've wrapped them all in bows and packed them away with dust for food. I am not that person you knew. You were aware that I was no innocent. A gentle waif that waited patiently for you to be known. I adore you for your understanding and pretending.