Saturated in Gray
what is the truth?
This song always speaks differently to me whenever I take a listen, the meaning evolving and sometimes circling back around. It's the inspiration for this poem in some ways. I hope you take a listen.
____________________________________________________
If I'm being honest,
I'm not sure what that means anymore.
Truthful,
sincere,
fair?
Is it lying if I tell myself I can do it?
Is it the truth if I say that I cannot?
Am I full of falsehoods
bleeding from my tongue
as I say that,
I'm fine?
I'm fine means I don't want to be
ungrateful.
I'm trying to look on the
brightside.
Hoping to be a source of
joy for someone else
while I drown.
If I'm being honest,
I'm not sure what that means anymore.
What's the truth of the matter?
How much do white lies
weigh on the scale of sin?
I say tomorrow is going to be
a new day,
full of promise,
new beginnings.
Morning dawns–
a blank canvas,
but mine already feels
covered in half-truths,
muddied by the hurt that sits on
my chest,
squeezes my heart.
Grief for loved ones lost,
for time spent poorly,
for anger that ruled,
for sadness that remains,
for feeling like an afterthought,
for stress that I can't help,
for stress that I can.
Am I being honest if
all I show myself is the bad though?
I'm not lying if I say
this day is wonderful,
even though pain is right under the surface.
I speak untruth saying there is
no good,
no joy.
The truth is,
I'm not being honest.
And I'm not lying.
I don't think it
can be black and white.
I think sometimes
it's all shades of gray.
Like me.
____________________________________________________
Thank you for reading!
If you liked this piece, please consider reading another one of my works, commenting your thoughts and subscribing so you don't miss anything new.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Keep reading
More stories from Heather Hubler and writers in Poets and other communities.
Words Chapter 1
I. It was something that contradicted itself, over and over and over again. At the time, my arms and legs were smaller versions of myself, and my fingers and toes were even smaller versions of myself; I liked to think of my body as a plan going accordingly. I liked to think of my brain as skipping ropes. These were things I used to describe my mental state. I was stretchy. We took our first unbundled breath, long and bendy. This was before I decided that grass came before the seeds, and trees came before the soil.
By Jamie Ramsay5 days ago in Poets
Comments (21)
This masterpiece speaks to me in a personal way! Thanks for writing such a beautiful poem! God bless you!
Wonderful and relatable. Gonna put that song on my playlist!
Gosh this all hit so hard 💜 I know you're not an afterthought for me 🤗 I really loved this part: Hoping to be a source of joy for someone else while I drown. Lots of love 💗
Came full circle in lovely way. Felt a lot of faded grief in here. Thanks for sharing Heather.
Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!!!💕💖
Beautifully raw and honest. I love the vulnerability in this.
Your poetry always speaks to my soul. Another great work and the song you included fit perfectly.
This is such a moving, beautiful poem. I think you've outdone yourself!! LOVE THIS! ❤️
Raw in its honesty - love the vulnerability. Sorry - my laptop won't let me watch the video, though. It's not my laptop - it's my dumb WiFi and data caps. But I love the poem!
Wonderful poem, and a great song to share with it.
Love the song , it’s not easy to be positive all the time especially how the world is going and what we here in the news. Beautiful poem , it honestly refreshing . 👍
That song punched me hard in the gut! I love songs like this because it says all the things we don't say or we can't say. I loved this line from your poem: How much do white lies weigh on the scale of sin? Your poem was soooooo relatable!
Heather, wow. This is a lovely, raw and real description of the internal wrestling in which we all engage.
Gosh this was so relatable and just hit heart head on. And then this line just … too REAL “I'm fine means I don't want to be ungrateful.”
This is amazing. Somehow it's incredibly complex yet so beautifully, simply, honestly said. This will definitely be a Top Story. :)
This comment has been deleted
Amen to this, we all have our shades of grey in us. Beautifully written, Heather. ❤
I love the power of words!
circle the bases, it’s a home run, no need to slide in home, you touched many, tres bien 😀
Speechless. Bravo!!!
Powerful poem and song!💕
Another amazing poem!