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Your lips were bittersweet with
nicotine, weed, and Redbull when they
whispered to me to take another shot of vodka.

They told me that I owe you my life.

You took my innocence away slowly with every
breath you lured out of my lungs.
With every forgotten and lost sin we shared together.

Every crack in my fragile heart you filled in with black tar.
You left my ears ringing after the gunshots
you fired through me.

I hate you.

But I still beg you to come bother me on sleepless nights.
To hold me hostage in my own bed.
You tell me to stare through you and forget anything else as you hold me down.

I do not belong to you.
I am stronger than you.
I am not alone.
All lies that I tell myself.

Because I still beg for you when the nightmares
start coming back.

I hate the buzz of the black winged beasts because they
revel in taunting me. Round and round they go until they
land on my ear. Only to raise their voices and reminisce over what they’ve seen.
They are filth with no respect for those once were.
They won’t let me forget.
They laugh and giggle when describing that day.
One said “Oh, how I love my meals cold and he was my favorite”
I swipe and swipe, but they always return.
Their dirty feet make my ear itchy when they land.
Just as I go to scratch, they fly to the other side.
Another said “Don’t worry, he wasn’t alone. I left my children to keep him company.”
My anger rises, but mostly at myself. Their words would be nothing, if not for my mistake.
Even when the undrinkable rain falls, they don’t retreat.
“When you said goodbye, why didn’t he reply?”
Please. Stop.
“The strong smell of a meal, it hits harder than a fly swatter”
…
“Oh dear, was the look on his face disappointment or fear?”
I can only avoid them, if I run forward without looking back.
I’ll let them be my fuel
When my legs become weary and slow.
No matter how far I go,
I’ll always hate flies
Because of the day I had to say goodbye

Thank you Ashkii for your wonderful piece! You can find Ashkii on their Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ashkiiwilson/

          You Broke me
          When I loved you

You Gave me pain
When I took yours

You promised forever
When I challenged my heart to leave

          You Broke me
          When I loved you

You were silently broken. A monster inside.
I stayed. When I was the one who needed saving

You wouldn't let me go
When I walked away

I came back home
A home of fire and pain

          You broke me
          So I started to rebuild

You pushed me to the deep end
Where there, not even air could save me

You finally let me go
And I learned how to swim

          When I broke you
          I built me

Pull the trigger, reload
Pull the trigger, reload

The crystal shatters the lovely veil
The thoughts seep in as I tell my tale

The legs of life are burdened
Though for happiness I am determined

Heaven turned to Hell, glass to fire
The memories of her strike my ire

Things were so beautiful in the land of make believe
How was I so blind to see that she would leave?

It’s not you, it’s not me
Is it the universe that’s out for my glee?

Soft and tender silk set ablaze
And once again returns the haze

The fog looms in once again
It’s harder to see my real friends

Who cares about me, surely not I
How could people say I’m such a good guy?

Alas, here you come
Finally, I can believe in someone

Someone to stand for other than me
Until I can once again see

The haze will rise as will I
This I am sure will come by

Somehow someday
But until then I will no longer decay

I am life and life is me
Nobody will always live happily

But through the murk
I’ll find a smirk

And realize life is free
And my greatness will once again come to be

So raise a glass to life
Because it’s one hell of a strife

But the survivors have one thing to say
I’ve lived to see another day

The shattered crystal begins to glisten
The sun has once again risen

Broken things are beautiful too
Just like me, just like you

Broken but not gone
I will see a new dawn

Thank you to Cameron Pohl for his wonderful piece "Shattered", our very first Central Shorts publication!