Goodbye

one sister's final farewell for something that was not her fault

Sobs could be heard from inside her room, quiet and discreet. She had been alone in her room for quite some time now after returning from a quick drive. The three younger children listened at the locked door, ears pressed against the wood. They could not understand what could have possibly upset her so on her outing to cause her to shut herself away in her room. In a brief moment, the sobs turned into a quick gasp, a few short gulps, and then silence. Nothing could be heard from their sister’s room anymore. Paniced, the three younger siblings called out her name, yet she didn’t answer. Again, they called out her name, and again she did not answer. The elder boy moved his siblings away from the door and threw himself into it. The door flew open. What the children found was not to their liking as they entered the room. Utter horror took over the children’s face as their eyes fell upon the worst sight they had ever witnessed or would ever witness. The young sister’s knees gave way and she fell to the floor, holding her stomach and crying into the wet carpet. The older of the two boys trembled in fear, staring down at the spot next to his sister’s bed where the dark blue carpet slowly turned to a black color. The younger boy held his tears back as best he could, but the sight was too unbearable. The blood dripped from the knife in one of her hands, as well as the long slit on their sister’s throat. Her head hung down, allowing her blood to ooze over her body and the ground beneath her. Beside her lay proof that she knew of their secret lives. Photos of her young brother selling illegal drugs in a dark city alley. Photos of her youngest brother drinking at a party he was never supposed to attend, girls gripping each of his arms. Letters her young sister had written to several boys, demanding her pay for her “services”. What the children then discovered was that she had paid three separate, private detectives to trail them months ago after having a rather disturbing conversation with a good friend of hers about things she had been too blind to notice. She just wanted to know; to make sure her brothers and sister were okay; to protect them from doing something that would ruin their lives; prevent them from becoming the monsters she had been fighting her entire life to keep away from her family. Unfortunately, she found out that she was far too late. The damage had been done. Her siblings still could not understand why she would end her own life instead of turning them all in. She had not explained anything to her siblings through her death so far, but the answer to the reasoning of her suicide became clear as they looked upon their sister’s body once last time before leaving the room. Clenched in her bloodstained hand was a piece of paper that revealed ten words: “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from the world. Goodbye.”

Reviews

[Belinda Rice]

i can feel the sadness in this poem but i do understand why she killed her self cause she felt like she failed to take care of her family,she felt wrong for not being ther when they needed guidence......this is a great peace i will try to continue to read more ans soon as i can...great write girl greta and wonderful...