MOURNING THE LOSS OF A CONTENT LIFE
angela patera
One would believe that after a life of hardship,
Of abuse, depression, and sorrow
Enters the stage of everlasting peace,
Of care, happiness, and joy
The rightful reward after so much pain
A chance to heal, to find oneself again
The life you always longed for—
Once seemed an impossibility, an unreachable dream
It arrives now with the rising sun
But what if it was not meant to last?
What if the universe chose to take it away?
Stealing what was fairly earned, rightfully yours
Undoing everything you worked hard to achieve
The perfect life slipped through your fingers
You desperately tried to hold on with no success
And now you cannot help but feel crushed by your very existence
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Cannot move on, mind stuck in the past
Memories will abandon you sooner or later
For they distort, fade with the passing of time
Time passes—further on from the perfect life you had lived
Part of you died along with it
Does it make any sense to live on?
Perhaps it is wise to wither away like the contentment you had once experienced,
And shared with loved ones who, too, mourn the loss
Far away these loved ones are—
As is your will to live through the same old life of hardship
Angela Patera is a published writer and artist, and an emerging poet. Her short stories have appeared in Livina Press, Myth & Lore Zine, Iceblink Literary Magazine, and more. Her art has appeared in numerous publications, as well as on the cover of Selenite Press, Penumbra Online, Monster Mag, and Apothecary Journal. Both her art and short stories usually draw inspiration from the genres of horror and fantasy, but also from nature, folklore, and mythology. When Angela isn't creating, she likes to spend time outside in nature, and sometimes at cemeteries as well.
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Instagram @angela_art13