Noticed, Cared

I should have noticed, should have cared

Every day

as she struggled

to keep it together

-

When problems arose

She, handled me

*

I should have noticed,

Should have cared

As pressures

Got to her

She never gave up

-

Nursing wounds

Mental and physical

*

I should have noticed,

Should

Have

cared

Her silent tears

unheard complaints

Her head stayed down, ashamed

-

Each step forward she took

Life kicked her back

*

I should have noticed,

...

should

have cared

Every time

Something went wrong

She put on her brave face

-

The hurt she held deep

Wages of my addiction, errors and sins

*

I should have noticed, should have cared

Hurt she tried

So hard to push aside

Fighting each day and night

-

Kept going, despite it all

Struggling, but surviving

*

I should have noticed,

I

more than anyone

Should have cared

-

I

I wish I had

I wish it

Never took

So many years

So many misfires

So many empty promises

Lie after lie

Mistake after mistake

Again and again

Again and again

Until

We all despised me

Before I started

To notice

To care

*

Thanks for reading!

A little context...I posted a poem yesterday that I was enormously proud of, called No one. With it, I gave the context and background of its progression from being a microfiction piece for the Microfiction Magic Challenge about a homeless person into something more.

Further to that, though, something's been irking me about this piece.

I am immensely proud of that piece and stand by it, I am glad people felt it was thought-provoking etc. And was also pleased that people enjoyed the insight and background information to it all.

However, just as it progressed from being a microfiction about a homeless person to being something deeper and more impacting, it still needed to go through one more progression to be a more honest assessment of what I wanted to express.

I have always tried to be honest in my writing. While I may not bare out all my flaws clearly and fully in a direct way (that can be scary, right?), I've never shied away from being honest about the fact that I am a work in progress that is trying so very hard to change from the way I've been in the past.

That is why I had to write a new take on that original piece.

If you have the time and inclination, here are a couple of other pieces, you may enjoy:

You can also take a look at the rest of my work here.