These Dreary Afternoons (Poem)

These dreary afternoons

Are my favorite.

The sun has left me,

And no one is around.

I am alone,

And pleasantly so.

My mind goes

Where it please,

On days like these

There is no pressure

To think of only one.

These are my times,

My moments of liberty

From social expectations.

These dreary afternoons

Allow me to be.

It is a gentle bliss,

Not of ignorance,

But distance,

And perseverance.

My pen screams

With unbridled joy,

As it comes to the paper

With honest abandon.

No need to deceive,

Or create a facade,

When none are near.

Emotions become real,

And expressed vividly.

Perhaps only

To go into hiding,

To disappear.

These dreary afternoons

Bear many secrets.

The hurt of years past

Becomes real,

The bleeding,

Unstoppable.

The love of here and now,

Hidden out of fear,

Comes to sing.

Its lullaby

Drifts my into

Sincere happiness.

These dreary afternoons

Cannot realize my wishes.

They are restrained,

Slaves,

Vastly outnumbered.

They are powerless.

That is,

So long as I

Do not bring my wishes

Into everyday.

So long as my

Cowardice rules.

These dreary afternoons

Will feed my courage,

Until the time comes

To retake my life.

-Zero