Love Yourself; The Touch of Darkness

By Ashley Soto

Love Yourself

Oh beautiful rose 
stemmed into the ground.

No sunshine. 
No rain.

Will save you 
Will cure you

from your 
Deep

Melancholy.

So beautiful but 
so sad.

Dreading your own looks.
Crying intensely,
big rain drips
slipping, sliding down your petals.

Such an intense beautiful red 
but

at the very middle 
where your heart is 
resides
the color

Black

Slowly spreading onto the radiant red
Like a plague

You,
blinded by anger. 
Immense sadness.

You don't realize your beauty, 
your worth.

When will you come to love yourself?


The Touch of Darkness

How to escape this darkness?

Crying intensely 
My heart 
aching.
My head 
Spinning.

Salt roads carved onto my cheeks.

Sitting in the darkness, 
engulfed by it.

Far too deep.

It feels like two soft hands 
sliding slowly around my neck

A soft 
deceiving touch.

With true horrific intentions. 

I turn my eyes away

Paralyzed.

Not the slightest light. 
Not the slightest sound.

Only my silent sobbing.
My body quivering both in fear and sadness.

My shaky breaths. 
My heart pounding, 
Tirelessly.

How to get out?

How to escape this darkness that moves me when it flows?

Manipulating my thoughts. 
My emotions.

How to escape I ask? 

No one......

No one answers.

With this realization I gain control. 
The hands slip away from my neck 
in a caressing,
almost loving way.

Too confused.... 
What to do?

I lay down
fully believing that

I am truly here 

To stay.