A Cross To Bear

I donned a cloak of sadness, too heavy to bear. My frowns, deeply etched from doleful despair. Then he came into my life; blue eyes smiling, like lambent skies after a storm, so beguiling. He offered to help ease my emotional pain, "Let me cradle you in my arms," was his refrain. Tender whispers of love, this man possessed, but his romantic notions were a quixotic quest. His burdens were so much heavier than my own, for his irascible demons made me sob and groan. They ignited like hot coals, tearing me apart, a cauldron of flames, charring my wounded heart. They were an albatross slung around my neck, Specters who turned my life into a tangled wreck. I tried constructing a citadel to shut them out, but they breached my walls by another route. His cross to bear, but on my soul they were born. In darkness, I trod; suffering, but not fully worn. My aspirations of hope were drowning in sorrow. I kept promising myself, "I will leave tomorrow." Finally, I realized it was only myself I could save. Armed with a prayer, determination and a stave, I chose to walk away from love that went askew. Trembling, I fled. There was nothing more to do. November 26, 2021 This or That, Vol 8 Contest hosted by Edward Ibeh