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Look Me In The Eyes

a poem

By Sam Eliza GreenPublished 6 months ago 1 min read
175
photo by João Jesus on Pexels

I never thanked you

for inadvertently teaching me

to avoid looking directly

into your eyes.

I didn’t realize

until I was confident

that you can gleam

some sort of connection

without the concealment

of sunshades.

Family.

What a silly

word we use

to excuse all the confusing

ways we hate each other.

“I love you, but I never

wanted children.”

And no amount

of empty affections

can scour

that from my memory.

I never thanked you

for showing me how to

change a tire

or break somebody’s nose.

Who knows,

it might save me

one day.

Maybe I should be

grateful that you

implanted invaluable

lessons into my life

like lying

to the only people

you have and pretending

to love the ones you don’t.

Love.

Have you ever really

known it?

“I don’t love;

I tolerate.”

Yet, I never really thanked

you for ignoring

my rare outbursts

or famous isolations.

Perhaps I should have

because I wouldn’t

be self-sufficient

without it.

For your sake,

I daydream of when

someone will ask me,

“How did

you accomplish this?”

Then, I will laugh and admit,

“My father didn’t

care to read

my stories.”

heartbreaksad poetryperformance poetry
175

About the Creator

Sam Eliza Green

Wayward soul, who finds belonging in the eerie and bittersweet. Poetry, short stories, and epics. Stay a while if you're struggling to feel understood. There's a place for you here.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  1. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  2. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

  3. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  4. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  5. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

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Comments (17)

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  • Emily Dickerson25 days ago

    Didn't realize I had so many brothers and sisters of the same father. Thanks for sharing this piece, it is essential.

  • Lace Cole5 months ago

    love this. thank you.

  • Amy Hall6 months ago

    I enjoyed reading this piece, well done! I subscribed to you! I am just starting out and would very much like if you have time to read some of my work and if you like it please subscribe! I look forward to reading more of your work!

  • De Liana6 months ago

    great text.

  • Wall Berry6 months ago

    great text.

  • Nichole Campbell6 months ago

    I absolutely love the subject that you touched on. "like lying to the only people you have and pretending to love the ones you don’t." Oy, oh, my... yes, I understand. Check out some of my poetry, as there is a place for me here perhaps, I have a place for you as well. :) Please keep writing.

  • Zakari Runge6 months ago

    Love the tone and pace of this! Amazing job! :)

  • Jennifer David6 months ago

    I like the personal tone. It doesn't put me in the shoes of the narrator but rather allows a glimpse into their life. I appreciate the perspective and the raw but over it feellings.

  • Joseph June6 months ago

    You wrote your hearts out, and I felt it too… Nice one 👍

  • Manisha Dhalani6 months ago

    Right in the feels.

  • Ebony Dominguez6 months ago

    Wow, beautiful poetry

  • Brenton F6 months ago

    sadly beautiful and able to strike so many familiar places!

  • Natalia Grin6 months ago

    Heartfelt, beautiful.

  • Iris Morales6 months ago

    This was beautiful.

  • Kendall Defoe6 months ago

    Didn't know we had the same people in our lives... A very powerful piece of work.

  • Melissa Ingoldsby6 months ago

    True

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