Voices Of The Shadows

A choir that cries in the night. Can you hear it?

I can hear the choir,

   crying in the night,

shouting inaudibly,

barely kept in harmony.

And though their voices ring,

like chiming bells,

and their shrieks,

shatter my heart,

I cover my ears,

and duck my head,

for the raven squawks,

high in the forked tree.

I mustn't listen.

I mustn't see.

I mustn't hear,

the song of Thana,

for I am afraid.

The shadows which,

beseech me to follow,

are but a trick of the light.

I have lost my mind,

yet my soul is intact,

and they have come,

to rip it from me.

O, I have fathomed my grave!

My mind is buried,

and my bones ache.

Come sweet,

come bitter.

Come warm,

come cold.

Come cheery,

come weary.

Come!

Take me away!

Author's Note

When I was little, due to the emotional abuse on behalf of my mother, I began hearing voices in the middle of the night. I would sometimes sit and listen and most of them were simply calling my name, but they would rise in a chorus and make my head feel crowded. They wouldn't stop until I fell asleep. I haven't heard these voices in years, but I still remember what they sounded like and I wouldn't doubt it if I was on the brink of insanity. Even today, I remember slipping into a craze and begging for it to end. Not something an 11 year old child should have to deal with...

Reviews

[Onlyme]

Could really feel your suffering and pain and haunted emotions inside this beautifully expressed and heartfelt poem. That trouble you so as a child. So sorry to hear how this affected you and the reasons why in your Author's note. Thinking of you. Hugs. Proud of you for speaking out. And for expressing your emotions with us all. That took a lot of courage and faith within yourself to do so.

[Avelina Devi]

this part right here

Come sweet,
come bitter.
Come warm,
come cold.
Come cheery,
come weary.

is poetry in itself. beautifully penned. I enjoyed this piece.