Poems to Leave Streaks of Ink

Old Man

Warnings: this is super long

There is this strange old man

Who is always by my side

For years he has been watching

As I smiled and I cried

I don't know when he came

Or why he chooses to stay near

I don't know why I hate him

Or why he instills such fear

Some days he's just a midget

And it's easy to pretend

That I can't see him there

And his stalking's at an end

But somedays he is huge

And it's hard to just feel free

From all the horrid sadness

That he seems to bring to me

I try to ask him questions-

Who he is and where he's from

But he gives me this look

And still chooses to stay mum

Eventually I stopped

And just let the old man be

We both burdened the sadness-

I and him, forever we

Through the months and years

The man never aged a day

Though many seasons passed

Still he never went away

But I grew old and sick

And I'm lying here, alone

For who would ever visit

Such a poor and tired crone?

It's harder now to breathe

And my vision is quite bad

I feel I should be scared

But instead I'm only sad

I turn to the old man

As I try to clear my throat

Instead I am left coughing

As the man takes off his coat

He drapes it on my body

As I smile up at him

Although he smiles back

His expression's much more grim

"What is your name?" I croaked

Staring deep into his eyes

He opened up his mouth

As I stared in shocked surprise

"You know my name, good friend,

Do not play me for a fool."

He smirked at my reaction

Though the look did not seem cruel

"Every human knows

Who I am and what I cause-

Though you know me much more 

Due to your supposed flaws.

I am the silent night

Just before you fall asleep.

The sound around a diver

Who is 40 meters deep.

I cannot be seen,

But still I am often found-

High up in the sky 

Or more often underground.

Sometimes I bring pain,

But for others I'm relief;

Yet still I am more often

Just a product of one's grief.

I've been with you for ages-

Almost over 80 years.

We both saw together-

Everyone else disappears.

I wish someone had cared,

Even just for a short time.

I wish apathy

Was seen as a heinous crime.

I wish the world were kind

To those who cannot find their voice.

I wish the world were soft

To all who never had a choice. 

I wish I wasn't here

Watching over as you pass.

I wish someone had seen

How you were a lovely lass.

But I wish most of all

That you'd never known my name.

I wish I'd never met

The quiet woman you became.

I broke your fighting spirit

And for that I hate myself-

But I think you should know

That you should not blame yourself.

You gave all you could

And they all just seemed to take.

No matter how you tried

All their smiles were still fake. 

You won't see me again,

So I guess this is goodbye.

And somehow I feel

As though I might start to cry.

Know that you were loved,

Not by friends or family-

But by the little spirit

That you always had to see.

You were not the first

And you will not be the last.

Yet I will not forget

All the moments in our past."

I think he carried on

But I lost the strength to hear

Still his voice was nice

And it sounded so sincere

I quite soon lost all sense

Yet I wasn't sad or mad

For the first time with the man

I instead felt rather glad