Where do you go when the pain is too big?
Is there a mountain to climb and leave it behind,
Or a river to cross?
Looking back to make sure it didn’t follow.

Have you ever tried to run from your shadow?
Have you chased it with lights,
Only to watch it bounce back and forth
But never truly disappear?

Have you covered your eyes,
Hiding behind those make-believe walls?
A child, the covers,
And the monster in the closet.

Who has spent their lives wondering,
‘Why is it following me?’
How many of you have spent your days
Certain that your past is your present?

The path was supposed to be gentle,
Lined with purple irises and yellow buckeyes.
We were told it would be safe
To stay on the path.

Who has looked back over their shoulder,
And down the flower-lined path,
Only to see the shadow of pain
Still following closely behind?

I have.