This Is How We Are Different

This Is How We Are Different

She says
letting go takes energy.
I disagree.
Letting go takes strength.
It takes an accumulation
A build up
of things bottled up,
screamed out loud,
hushed into silence,
spoken only on paper.
No, she is wrong.
Letting go takes strength,
a burst of effort.
Letting go is a decision,
it makes way for things
you'd rather have.
No,
the real effort
is in staying.
Staying takes effort
daily, hourly,
every thought focused
on something I cannot
let go of.
There lies the real effort,
the exhausting attempts
to go one more day,
to hold onto whatever
is left.
Holding on takes effort.
Staying takes effort.
It is draining,
it leaves me empty.
Running on fumes for days
and still, I go on.
Because I am not strong enough
to let go.
She is strong
because she can let go.
She can speak
and move
and to me,
she is a heroine
a savior and a saint,
because she is strong.
She can let go.
And I can always be found
right here.
Day after day.
I cannot leave.

Reviews

[S Sanders]

Wow, this is beautiful. I love the rhythm, the subject, and the twist at the end. It starts with me agreeing with the writer, that leaving takes strength. But, actually, it is "she" that is the strong one because she has let go and moved on whereas the person telling the story hasn't. The last four lines are awesome.