POEM
Where Do You Keep Your Shame?
Spooktober: Week 3 Prompt
Where do you keep your shame?
Wait, let me tell you where I keep it.
So that you will feel at ease,
When you reveal it.
I hide it in my phone’s notes as journal entries,
Where no one can look or judge.
Its my feelings and interpretation,
Of the situations life threw at me all at once.
A forbidden kiss,
Was it a mistake?
Or was it an outlet of pain?
A rude conversation,
A confession session,
Where I expressed my feelings without shame.
I knew what I give out,
Will also give me,
Reactions of surprise and hate.
Some people left,
But their memories didn’t leave me,
So, I write down all my pain.
But why should we feel ashamed of those mistakes?
They made us who we are.
We now know what we mustn’t do,
Would we have learnt if we never crossed the bar?
Do you feel shame?
Let’s talk about it,
Then my guilt will start to diminish.
Then I will know that feeling shameful is normal,
And there is no need to feel shame about our shameless actions.
I went first,
And told you my secret,
Its time we learnt a bit about yours.
Remember, you weren’t right or wrong,
The situation was such that you reacted,
In a manner that made you feel strong.
We all stumble, all feel broken,
And none of us have it all figured out.
Let’s talk about it, let’s heal from it,
As when we share, we teach and learn,
That shame is an integral part of growth,
We cannot walk away from.
Thank you Diana C. for another thought-provoking prompt. Thank you for reminding me that feelings of shame when expressed reduces guilt and teaches us vital life lessons. :)
