A ticket without a destination whispering temptations I once found easier to pass over,

Promises of relaxation if only footsteps will travel their yellowing corridor.

It sways a directionless soul eager to take the plunge while a restless mind

Tries to remind of a childless mother and a daughterless father and a sisterless sibling.

The restless mind that begs them to see that they were right--

There are no monsters hiding in the dark because the demons are already living inside me.

But at the end of that corridor a ticket remains outstretched willing me to come aboard,

Seducing the soul with the promise of a freedom it’s never known before, willing the demons away

By accepting an offer no other could bestow.

A deal I once so quickly dismissed as false by not taking me to the right destination

I now considered with eyes warped from the pain that slid through them that forever marked itself

In the tatters of my soul the monsters so stealthily curled into.

They stole pieces of my future when you weren’t looking and maybe this is how I reclaim what is mine.

I’ve finally paused to listen to the whispers I once shut out, coaxing me a few steps until the soul behind the smile can travel to a place where grief’s grip is no more.

The soul behind the smile just wants to go home.