When you died,
The world died too.
It still breathed in a way that was forced and heavy,
Exasperated breaths that left no room for doubt.
The flowers wilted and crumbled,
Grieving in unison with the birds who forgot their song.
The sun refused to shine,
Leaving only room for grey.
The clouds crept in and cried too.
Because,
When you died,
The world died too.
I lost the ability to smile,
My lips would quaver at the edges,
Before falling into a familiar frown.
I grew accustomed to it,
And let it be.
For without you,
There was no reason for joy.
Paint peeled on the walls,
And your half eaten birthday cake moulded,
And as the house fell into disrepair,
I fell too,
Because,
When you died,
The world died too.
Days became longer,
Drawn out,
As though to let us relish in every moment of pain.
Your face plastered every stranger’s,
Your hair catching in the wind as I watched them walk away.
I saw you each day after you left,
And every meeting drew me back,
Back to your smile,
Back to your laugh,
Back to the moments I got to hold you,
Back to the days we spent hidden from the world,
Back to us,
Back to knowing that those days are gone.
But it did not matter now,
The days without you were numbered,
Because,
When you died,
The world died too.
At times,
Voices would creep in,
Tell me to move on,
Rebuild.
But how could I build a future without you in it?
Each embrace felt like a stranger,
Condolences left at the door,
Well wishers and pittied smiles,
Drowned me.
Telling me to find joy,
That you would want me to find joy,
That some day I would look back and smile,
That the empty void would seem shallower,
That the tightness in my chest would be weaker,
That the skies would seem more blue,
That the bird song would ring clear,
That the flowers would bloom once more,
But how could they not understand,
That,
When you died,
My world died too?
– Jen Pickering
This was based on a writing prompt found on reddit where the premise is the whole world dies when you do. I’m sure most people who have felt grief can agree that when someone dies, at least for a period of time, it feels like the world has died with them and so inspired the piece above!
Love Jen x
Jennifer Pickering 