original poetry

Navigating Guilt and Isolation in Poetry

/ Nancy Ann Creed / 1 Comment
Young man sitting on ground in dark urban alley with head resting on arms

Navigating Guilt and Isolation in Poetry

I should not take the blame
Two steps forward, ten steps back,
No matter the path, the light is black.
I try, I try, with all my might,
But shadows follow in the night.

Do not misplace the scars you bear,
Or cast your judgments, sharp and bare,
Upon a soul that’s not to blame,
For all the hurt, for all the shame.


With silent walls and seeds of doubt.
You bring the feast but leave me cold,
A story left largely untold.

“Don’t speak,” you say, “Don’t let me in,”
As if my presence is a sin.
You say I shouldn’t be involved,
The mystery of me—never solved.

An afterthought, drifting alone,
The furthest distance I have known.
The tears fall soft, the heart beats slow,
Caught in a wind I did not blow.

You hate me—the echo rings so clear,
A constant hum for all to hear.
You hate me, hate me, in the dark,
Leaving behind this jagged mark.

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The Weight of Unshared Burdens

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silhouette of a woman with finger over her lip
Photo by Валерия Шкода on Pexels.com

The Weight of Unshared Burdens

I’m carrying a secret,
One I can’t share.
If I told anyone,
They’d be filled with despair.

It locks away my thoughts,
And shadows all my days.
A silent storm inside,
Lost in a winding maze.

I’m afraid of what they’ll think,
Of how they’ll react.
I don’t want to hurt them,
So I’ll keep this to myself.

The truth could shatter bonds,
And break the fragile trust.
So I will wear this mask,
Because I know I must.

I’m carrying this burden,
All alone.
It’s heavy and it’s painful,
But I know I can’t let it go.

No shoulder to lean on,
No hand to guide my way.
I walk this lonely road,
Further into the gray.

I need to find a way to deal with this,
To find a way to cope.
I can’t keep living like this,
With this secret weighing me down.

I search for just a spark,
To clear this heavy air.
To find some inner peace,
And ease this dark despair.

More Works by Nancy Ann Creed

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Ebooks & Paperbacks Maeve
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The Space They Left

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Photo by Mantas Hesthaven on Unsplash

The Space They Left

I saved a seat for you so long,
I learned to love the empty space,
And hummed the verses of a song
That time and silence would erase.

You used to be a steady light,
Or so my foolish eyes believed.
But looking back in clearer sight,
I see how deeply I was grieved.

For friendship isn’t hide-and-seek,
Where I am always left to find
A minutes’ scrap within your week,
A fleeting afterthought of mind.

“Too busy,” was the familiar refrain,
A shield you wore to keep at bay
The text, the call, the quiet pain
Of watching bonds just drift away.

So let it be. No anger here.
No bitter words to stain the past.
The view ahead is sharp and clear,
And freedom has arrived at last.

I close the door without a slam,
And walk into a warmer dawn.
I’m remembering just who I am—
I’m letting go, and moving on.

The Cost of Keeping Peace

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The lines were drawn in quiet ink,
A map of “yes” and “stay,”
I feared the bridge would surely sink
If I turned the other way.
I held my breath to keep the peace,
A ghost within the room,
Fearing that my own release
Would seal a friendship’s doom.

I thought the cost of being me
Was more than they would pay,
That if I spoke, they’d turn and flee
And leave me in the gray.
But then the weight began to gall,
The “jokes” that left a sting,
The way they made me feel so small
While I gave everything.

So I stood up, a sudden flame,
And watched the masks descend,
I finally spoke my truth, my name,
And waited for the end.
They met my strength with cold disdain,
With anger and with slight,
They saw my joy as their own pain
And walked into the night.

And in the silence left behind,
The truth began to bloom:
The friends I was so scared to find
Were never in that room.
For if a boundary breaks a bond,
The bond was but a thread;
Of people who are truly fond,
There’s nothing left to dread.

If standing up meant losing them,
I lost a heavy chain,
A false and hollow stratagem
That only offered pain.
The ones who leave when you grow tall
Were never yours to keep;
It’s better that the shadows fall
So you can finally leap.

More works by Nancy Ann Creed

MAEVE https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd
MATTHEW https://books2read.com/u/bzNZYj
JUSTIN https://books2read.com/u/mBKzLZ
MAURELLE https://books2read.com/u/bzN19D
ANNBELLE https://books2read.com/u/bWqEkx
Carillon https://books2read.com/u/38anZV