If hurt was a person it’d be you Of all the broken bones Fallen scraped knees Wounds and scars I’ve earned As parts of adventures or lessons They’ve all healed eventually Not you though You are the hurt that persists That waits for me to wake up After lingering way to long into the night The pain that strikes in lonely moments After startling me away from joy in a crowd There’s no soothing your hurt In places where salves can’t reach Weeping wounds that can’t be bandaged Only numbed by poisons that lead to regret You are the hurt that is cruel That won’t kill to end the suffering Lingering like a constant ache A reminder of the mistakes That can’t be undone Worst of all you are the hurt That I inflicted on myself
Copyright © 2021 TJS Sherman All rights reserved.
Musing & Creating with T.J.S. Sherman 
I could feel those last two lines like a punch to the stomach. And sadly, I can very much relate.
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If a person hasn’t had a bad relationship or two (or twenty if you’re a disaster like me), it’s hard to figure out how to make one work.
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I agree, but I think the easiest way to maintain a great relationship is to give up the fight to always be right and to let go of unreasonable expectations.
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I agree. Though some folks struggle giving up unreasonable expectations and giving up on all expectations.
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Very true… it’s easy to just want things a certain way when that’s what we’re used to. But this poem really got me thinking, especially those last few lines because that’s exactly what I do. After a very long while, I can say goodbye to the people who’ve hurt me, but I tend to hold onto my battered heart, when I really should let that go too. Anyway, it’s something I’ll be thinking about more intentionally now.
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