I am guilt.

I know I live within complaint
my mind cannot understand
what others see
what others hear
what others respond to
and it sends you within shut down
you don’t want to hear it
you’re not one
to drown within a puddle of thoughts
you’re not one to fill with the angst of another
you’re stronger
more secure
I am guilt
that’s all I’ve ever been
all I’ve felt
weak, sad
filling of guilt
for what I cannot control
dripping of tears
for what I cannot control
their opinions are
and mine remain the same
often doused of theirs
if I lit a match
it’d go up in smoke
and I’d be left
wallowing there
feeling the pain
of burnt flesh
you’d dust of your skin
and grow again
I am not strong
I feel it all
my brain absorbs it
and I struggle
because I cannot stop it
all of it
all of the societal problems
created by humans
by myself
by all of us
I cannot stop it
and that in itself
is what holds me down.

Thanks for reading.
-Temperamentally Tina