Lin Lane Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

Edward's Pick-A-Title Contest, Vol 59. ~ 9/17/26

Do With This What You Will

I'm not one to believe in chasing rainbows.
As quickly as their colors show, 
they fade and suddenly disappear. 
They're as elusive as a night without sleep,
and a cause for weeping over lost love.

I'd been living life in solemn shades of gray,
and got lost inside an inescapable maze
filled with grief and despair, a burden to bear.
Through the years I desperately held on to hope
and had many doubts about what I should do
until I realized it was both of us, he was deceiving.

There's nothing left of us, no reason to stay.
He did with our marriage what was his will.
I knew it was time to leave and say farewell
but first there was something I had to do.
I collected the mementos I'd been keeping
and searched for a large carboard box.
         
Into it I placed things that once were special...
pictures, anniversary cards, my wedding rings.
The important keepsakes I used to treasure,
Now the sight of them filled me with angst.
I should throw this stuff in the trash and be done...
watch it all burn in flames until it's ash.

I felt the need to say goodbye but not in person
so, I wrote the thoughts that were in my heart
and taped the note on the top of the box.
He would read about the dreams he'd killed
and how skilled he'd been at planting the seeds
that he forgot to nurture until they withered.
   I wrote...

"In this box are keepsakes from our marriage.
I'm walking away but decided the box will stay.
I've no need of reminders of what we once had,
insignificant remnants of the life we'd shared.
I'm freeing my heart by unfastening the chains
and stopped chasing the elusive rainbow...
the one where I thought someday I'd find you.
The box is yours to keep or to trash...
Do with this what you will; I no longer care
for I've given myself wings to fly."

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Paula Goldsmith September 17, 2026 at 11:18 AM WOW!!! I enjoyed reading your powerful write. I can feel your pain here. Life is Not always easy. Sure wish it was. What a great picture. Great Ending....Yes, with wings to fly. "Good Luck"  Have a Very Blessed Day Writing Away................

Daniel Henry Rodgers September 17, 2026 at 9:40 AM Dear Lin, my counselor is coming out, and I like that you showed that when we are trapped in an "inescapable maze" of grief and false hope, our pain remains internal, heavy, and abstract. The highest form of detachment isn't destroying the box in a flash of anger, it is leaving it behind with complete indifference. Unfastening the chains of a false promise is precisely what restores light to your sky and grants the soul its wings. Courageous, fiercely dignified, and triumphant in its sense of personal liberation. Powerful and deeply rooted work, my dear friend. Blessings, Daniel Daniel Henry Rodgers September 17, 2026 at 10:29 AM Dear Lin, I am so glad you had the opportunity to mend fences. Many people never get the chance. I am also saddened that he passed away. Death seems to always be knocking at our door, especially the older we get. My dad was an alcoholic and very abusive, and I was his target most of the time. I always thought that before he died in 1988, he would apologize to me, but it never came, and it took until 1993 before I freed my heart by forgiving him. Forgiveness is an amazing healer. Blessings, Daniel Lin Lane September 17, 2026 at 10:04 AM Daniel, whether as counselor or friend, your insight is always welcome. In my actual account of walking away there were many more things that would not have fit into a box that I left behind for him. Things I felt he'd want or needed. There were times when I felt I was abandoning him, but in truth it was my need for self-preservation that I would've abandoned if I'd stayed. Years later, he mended his offenses and we were friends again. He died last month and I am grateful we had the chance to talk of our memories with laughter instead of bitterness. Forgiveness truly is a healer. Thank you.