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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Tom Cunningham September 24, 2026 at 3:45 AM You wrote this from your heart Lin, they say times a great healer but the scars remain Tom🌹

Hiya Sharma September 19, 2026 at 7:40 AM Wow gosh! This makes me think how ironic life sometimes is, the things which used to be our reason, our soothe and solace, how they tune quickly to ash and nothing remains, but just bitterness... My dear Poetry Godmother, if I may call u so! You just made my heart feel the ache behind everything that you've inked here.. so powerful! And soul-hitting! "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" Oh ma Linzieeezz, I know how liberating that freedom is, giving wings to one's own self and walking away, as hard as it is, it's equally important. sending you hugsz and mermaid moonbeams with magic n love, 🌹🌙 🧚🍁🍂💫 Lin Lane September 19, 2026 at 8:09 AM Dear Hiya, you may call me anything you like, and I will happily answer you. That heartache was 15 years ago and there is never a full healing for having a lost a love. Thank you ever so much for feeling my poetry. That's a very valuable treasure. Thanks also for the mermaid moonbeams and hugs!

Ink Empress September 19, 2026 at 6:18 AM That is a brilliant idea, did you really do that? Put all the notes in a box? I love the idea! I might try this in the future. Love the way you show self respect and dignity, through any heartbreak. We must first prioritize our own self! I like your resilience Poetry Mama! You inspire me to be like that! I love the opening lines here and also "There's nothing left of us, no reason to stay." an unforgettable line! "got lost inside an inescapable maze" ah this is just soul hitting! Best wishes Pleasure reading Sending you light always Lin Lane September 20, 2026 at 3:30 AM If I hadn’t left, I’d have listened to myself as badly as he was lost. I pleaded with him to get the help he needed but he refused. Thanks for having the understanding that you do about my poetry Lin Lane September 19, 2026 at 8:04 AM Yes, I did leave him things in a box that were mine but that I thought he might want. Also some of the furniture I had when I moved there and our cat. Although I chose him at the rescue place, he chose David to be his person.

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................ Lin Lane September 19, 2026 at 4:46 AM Thank you very much, Paula. Have a great weekend.

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.