The C Word

The mere thought of you
Sucks the light from the day
You desiccate a blooming rose
The fullness of life empties at your whispered name
All color turns gray

You are a cruel and vicious foe
Indiscriminate and unrelenting
Selfishly consuming everyone’s joy
You leave no one untouched
The weight of you is too heavy

The mention of your name brings fear
More questions than answers
You hide from discovery
Making your confirmation a draining agony
An arrogant villain, you have no manners

You are timeless and eternal
A god of death to the young and the old
Draining every speck of warmth from us
Destroying everything you touch
Leaving misery, bitter and cold

Antithesis of all that’s good
Venomous hatred for you is all we have
You know not love, peace, or joy
Upheaval, anguish, and broken hearts
Plundering our souls with your forsaken staff

Are you the devil himself?
His minion of vindictive wickedness?
Goodness is not found in you.
Does this give you unfettered pleasure?
The very thought, to me, is ludicrous.

I hate you as a hero hates a villain
I fear you as a thirsty field fears desiccation
I curse you in every waking hour
In sleepless dreams, you are the one who is destroyed
I rob you of your victorious domination

A countdown has begun
The veracity of your presence, or lack thereof, laid to rest
Rejoice in the utter absence of your sight
Throw open the drapes to see the sun shine
As day overcomes the darkness of night

I plead and pray for goodness and hope
That you won’t touch a loved one’s life
That you won’t ruin two little girls
A family’s, a sibling’s, and in-laws’ happiness
Pass by, be gone, and release us from your strife

Specter, withdraw your ephemeral tendrils of woe
Find mercy, have compassion, even this once
You’ve touched us too often already
My litany to spare us from your wrath
Release us from your vile encumbrance

I cannot see them again; my beloveds suffer at your hands
I don’t know how to endure you yet again
Will they get through you if you visit once more?
My heart aches and screams, please stop
Have pity, give grace, don’t come, restrain

I pray to my Lord that He will revoke your charter
Cancel this empty, eerie, and acrid gloaming
With a single glimmer of His luminescence
For darkness withdraws and flees from light
One command, and He’d rob you of your boasting

I don’t hate much in this life
But you, I loathe and despise
I hate the wake you leave behind
The dire pain you cause when you linger
I yearn for your undoing and demise

(Published on Spilled Ink-WordPress, 2026)

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