The ones who could never stay

A letter to the reader

Welcome, reader.

Come in, take a seat and order your favorite drink; this time is on me.
Take off your mask and tarnished armor; this is a neutral zone. Here, there is no one or nothing to run away from.
Make yourself comfortable. Let me paint stories for you with words I take out of my sleeve, just right beside where I put my heart.
The clouds promise rain, and the sky swears to break. But here it's warm and smells like coffee and spring.

This is the moment when I step onto the stage while sighing. I start mumbling everything that lies inside me, whispering my anger and the love that is hidden in my chest.

All started when my life was blue, until I found my way back to light. That is why tears and smiles cover these pages, which you can see in every full stop and in every word that hurt me when I wrote it.
They say there is no better way to clear you out than to open your heart. Since then, I have gotten used to using my blood as ink and painting landscapes with it.

Before you come in, you should know that everyone I used to know went far away.
They left me here, stranded, waiting for them to come back.
Now, rain started to pour, and something in the dark sky and in the heavy wind tells me they won't return. So it's better if I continue on this path until I find myself on it again.

In this dark, empty room, there are just me and the ghosts of my memories, who turn out to be my closest friends now. They are used to attending each of my shows and sit in the front row every night to cheer me on as they hum my favorite songs.
Yet, you shouldn't be afraid; these ghosts are nice when you get to know them, and in case you don't like obscurity, I left a candle for you to light this night.

Chaos was my life before I got me. Bright was the day I turned my demons into words and ink, in the shape of a book.
And after all of them have gone, I still have hopes. Something in my blind fool heart keeps telling me they will come back, even though my brain tells me they won't.

Now, when everybody went and my aspirations turned into smoke, I really hope you, reader, can stay and find your place among these pages and words, just like all of my friends and acquaintances never did.

The ones who could never stay won't show up again; they are far away. So if you want to stay, you will be one of the rare few who do so.

Sincerely,
Athena Violante.