Day 16
VITALS
By Darlene Elias
No feeling of pain, no tears in sight. Blown out is the fire that ignites the heart and mind, the passion of the eyes.
The pain of the dead is horribly intense. Blackouts, with no warning or sound. One flight after another to a far away land.
Ask for forgiveness before arrival. It is the only way to get there and feel alive.
The voice of my mother, Dolly, Dolly are you there? Remember, you are the daughter of your mother, descendant of a long line of women, who fought not to be forgotten.
Only cravens resist the battle to live amongst the virtuous. The voice of the mother never dies. Blossom in the darkness when all is lost, when the soul is left behind.
Eyes closed, tears rolling down, fingers pressed on the jugular, a slow beating pulse. Head is above water, keeping her barely alive.
Full immersion takes the breath away. It only feels better when oxygen reaches the brain.
Left right hemisphere, wondering when it will end, the perpetual tailspin, the ringing in the head. The pain of knowing you must let go.
I only want to love what is meant for me. Love at the moment is not something I can control or anything I can handle.
Love at my worst, is the feeling of being alone and being loved by someone like you. Love is not you and me.
Love is saying goodbye even when it hurts. Love is me looking at my reflection and being able to smile. It is why I left, to feel alive, yet again. –
Darlene Elias has been selected as the 2025 Emerging Writer Fellow by the Straw Dog Writers Guild. She is an emerging writer and poet from Western Massachusetts. Darlene is a Hawaiian Boricua Anti Colonial Feminist who uses literature, poetry, and spoken word to elevate and validate her own experience as a woman in the United States.
Original artwork by