Recharting
Letting Them Go | A List of Instructions
1. Gather the pictures like blackberries in a basket. Take a match to the corners. See yourself in the flames.
2. Wash the toxin from your skin. Replace with moisturiser and sunlight.
3. Mould your lungs into something that will hold air; something that will empty of water.
4. Unload the gun that is memory, put it down. Hide the bullets.
5. Press lavender into the corner of your mind that keeps demanding closure. Remind yourself how many answers silence can hold (infinite).
6. Look their claims of happiness in the eye, even if it burns like pepper spray, stings like salt, screams like the past. Realise you will never get to see the truth behind their mask. Tell yourself it is okay if contentment clings to every aspect of their life. Your absence is not the only ingredient in their transformation. Their happiness does not equal your worthlessness.
7. Lay white sheets over all their words; kind and harsh, reassuring and damaging. Ointment and poison. Allow the dust to fall, settle, stay.
8. Book a plane ticket. Watch through a cloud speckled view as each haunted building shrinks, turns to particles of sand; able to fit in your palm; able to slip through your fingers. Let them.
9. Stand on ground they have not stood. Map out an uncharted part of your heart they have not touched or known or left as a wasteland.
10. Let the flowers bloom there. Bring them home and let the seeds yield restoration.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Vocal Bonus Leaderboard: 05/15/2024
Welcome to the weekly update of the Leaderboard! We're thrilled to showcase Vocal's most discussed stories, popular picks, and rising stars. Let's dive into this past week's standout contributors and their remarkable achievements.
By Vocal Team5 days ago in Resources
Comments (22)
Such a great way to restart and renew. What a beautifluuy written story. There was such a great idea, i feel breathless just reading it. Congrats.
Very poetic as always!
Better late than never. I’ve been so behind, but I absolutely love this and was not going to let another day go by without me commenting. Blown away by your mind, as always, Poppy. That transition from mental space to physical space, marked with “book a plane ticket” is superb. My favorite part: “Watch through a cloud speckled view as each haunted building shrinks, turns to particles of sand; able to fit in your palm; able to slip through your fingers. Let them.” —ugh how stunningly gorgeous are these words? And the following two stanzas that establish the speaker in a new location, but also in a metaphorical sense, is so well constructed. Distance, intentional distance, physical distance, to renew and grow better roots in order to heal from rotted ones…wow. I completely adore this poem. It’s tight, and so powerful. 👏👏👏
Congratulations on the well-deserved top story!🎉🎉🎉
I felt your prose was very encouraging and very helpful. Great work
Well deserved Top Story… I enjoyed rereading it!
This is such a wise manual.
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW This was amazing Poppy! Congratulations on Top Story! i loved this piece, especially number 4. That really hit home
Back to say, congratulations, Poppy!
"Remind yourself how many answers silence can hold"... fantastic work!
Goodness this was intense and emotional. So much power in this list. I loved every single word. Amazing work, Poppy :)
Well put… I of course like # 9 & 10… flowers bloom… seeds yield restoration!
I relate to this so deeply. Your use of imagery is masterful. Thank you for sharing!
Numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6 hit me so hard! I gotta do those things. I may not succeed right away, but I'll keep trying!
So beautifully done, love the overall tone and message but such a poignant reminder of much we all need to rechart sometimes, and that final image of flwers blooming and the seeds regerated, just perfect x 🤍
What a beautiful guided meditation for healing, contentment & peace.
Brilliantly written instructions on a renewable and recharging life!!! Bravo!!!💕❤️❤️
Omg. This is amazing! Well done.
great list. well written
This is astounding, Poppy! I love this idea and how wonderfully you mapped out what felt like recharting (as you put it) or regrouping, regrowing and refreshing after getting rid of someone toxic from your life. Splendid and I will comment on the challenge page, but you know you can count on me to come up with something! Well done on this!
Beautiful. It's an excellent way to gather yourself in and shake off the negativity that others often dump on you. Love this.
What a lovely list of instructions. Very nice Poppy.