IF

A young woman deals with her past through an imaginary friend.

She wasn’t young, but she had an imaginary friend.
She needed that friend;
He attacked all her bad memories
Like her personal knight in shining armor.
He took her bad thoughts
And banished them into another realm.
For once, she was happy.

Her past was a sad one,
Filled with all types of abuse
She couldn’t control.
She lost her sanity at the age of thirteen,
When her parents screamed at her most.
She had never fully gained it back,
But she was stable enough
That the doctors let her into the real world.

She was a dreamer.
Even when locked in confinement,
She imagined the bluest skies and the greenest plains.
The “real world,” when she finally got to see it,
Was nothing as she remembered.
It was as the name implied:
It was real.
It was cold.
It was her childhood all over again.

But her knight, he fixed that.
The world was hers to play with again.
He showed her the control panel,
And let her experiment,
All the while watching her,
Taking the place of her shadow,
Guarding her from the memories.
The memories, destined to return one day.

He would be ready.

Author's Note

This was originally going to open up a short story, but I never got around to it. The story was titled IF, an acronym for imaginary friend. I'm no poet, but I don't mind this too much.

Reviews

[w]

I have an odd connection to this. Because the feelings are all too familiar. I never had an imaginary friend, but I always reached out to whatever connection I could.
Insanity, confinement, but still having freedom in your own mind...
I know all of this firsthand.
This was a beautiful piece. You have a strong presence your writing and you know how to use it. Giving just enough away while still leaving enough room for the reader to think it through. Heavy, but gentle. Very lovely poem.

I truly hope that you wrote this as a reflection on your past and not something that is readily haunting you. Regardless, best wishes,
-Edie