Let the Darkness In

Gloom used to be so familiar to me, A second cousin once removed, with similar eyes And my own tangled hair We used to have long conversations in the dark, And stroke each other’s faces, Mourning the loss of joy’s bright dancing limbs And when the dawn light broke we would shudder, Collectively, and huddle beneath the duvet Ah we were such good friends, gloom and I… But then as the years passed I began to resent his presence Began to hate his guts And eventually I kicked him out of bed – I thought – forever… Celebratory days passed, in a blur of unfamiliar happiness All sparkling and gilded and glowing with infantile delight I threw myself into being normal, loved every minute – Until the day came when I met you, One suffocating autumn night, And Gloom rubbed his hands together in glee – Knowing that he could follow you and worm his way back into my heart Clinging to you like a leech until he could slip inside me And colonize once again the mansion he had lived in; The grim black walls of my gothic heart So you see, my love, I have a lot to hate you for Because not only did you break down my walls But you let the darkness in… And not only did you leave me cold and weeping But you gave me despair for a friend… So run away, darling, while you still can – Because rage smolders in my heart, and the grim desire for revenge…