my fragile dusk
My Fragile Dusk
breathing in shadows,
spine pressed to the night
the day's bones fracture,
clutched with scars, still wet.
the straighter I stand,
the less it resists,
yet somewhere beneath my worn skin,
a quiet pulse refuses to bow.
feelings rot slowly.
even decay holds the scent of earth.
my eyes’ blink is a small death.
my lungs’ air is a fragile rebirth.
forgive the self you wear,
as what it costs to claim it.
for hiding only teaches pain to burrow.
don't rise from your hollow,
just to strand yourself beneath echoes,
stone-haunted,
alone in my fragile dusk.
but not all ghosts are silent.
I sort through fractured truths,
my cards turning near,
faces carved in weathered stones,
confessing what they dare not say.
even humor warps,
when it comes straight from denial's throat.
eyes wide for what’s ahead,
haunted by ghosts and dead ends
settled deep in the recesses of the mind.
guardians mouth their oaths
from guns that weep mercy.
while my friends and I,
flee before love turns its cold face.
If you rise,
find us beneath the broken bridge.
bring a stone.
bring your rage.
bring my fragile dusk.
I mourn in stereo,
I grieve in echoes.
the sound went strange,
unrecognizable.
hiding changes nothing.
ghosts only crawl closer.
If you wake to find me standing,
eyes fiercely burned open,
alone,
turning these pages to ash,
think of me.
for alone is where the fiercest fires start,
eyes open is where dawn begins,
and burning it all means
making space for my fragile dusk to bloom.
'hiding only teaches pain to burrow.' It's so much easier to stand still and pretend everything's okay, but you're right—it just pushes the pain deeper.
ReplyDeleteIncredible closing lines.
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ReplyDeleteI keep thinking about: even humor warps, / when it comes straight from denial's throat.
That is such a sharp, accurate observation on how we cope.
ReplyDeleteThe line about forgiveness made me pause and reflect on how hard it is to accept ourselves fully.
ReplyDeleteThe poem’s rhythm flows like a quiet river, full of emotion and hidden depths. Truly evocative work.
ReplyDeleteThe metaphor of dusk as something both fragile and blooming is powerful—it lingers in the mind long after reading.
ReplyDeleteThis poem moved me deeply. The way you weave pain and hope together, especially with lines like “alone is where the fiercest fires start,” feels so raw and true.
ReplyDeletefull of hard-won wisdom, estefaaano_writes.
Your poem captures the struggle of holding onto oneself when everything feels fracturing.
This speaks to that experience of being worn down yet not completely broken.
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ReplyDeleteThis poem is heavy, but the ending is pure fire, estefaaano_writes.
The tone feels so intimate and confessional, like you’re sharing a secret with the reader. It’s both painful and hopeful, and that tension keeps me hooked from start to finish. Powerful work.
ReplyDeleteIt’s like a story told in shadows and light, inviting us to join you beneath the dusk and bring our own stories too.
ReplyDeleteThe poem feels like a companion in lonely moments.
ReplyDeleteYour use of sound, like “I mourn in stereo, I grieve in echoes,” gave the poem a haunting musicality. It stayed with me, reverberating long after I finished reading. So well-crafted.
ReplyDeletecaptures the vulnerable moments we all face but often don’t talk about.
ReplyDeleteI felt the weight of every scar and the fragile breath of hope beside it.
ReplyDeleteTruly moving.
This poem, the imagery of burning pages as a form of release was especially striking—a beautiful metaphor for letting go.
ReplyDeleteIt’s comforting and unsettling all at once, with language that cuts deep but also soothes.
ReplyDeleteThe fragile dusk becomes a powerful symbol of transformation.
ReplyDeleteThis poem spoke to the parts of me I often hide.
ReplyDeleteYour metaphor of ghosts and broken bridges paints a deeply human landscape of loss and resilience.
The tension between standing tall and feeling fractured beautifully captures the human experience in a way that’s both intimate and universal.
ReplyDelete♥️ dy
ReplyDeletebring a stone.
ReplyDeletebring your rage.
bring my fragile dusk.
👏🏻💪🏻✨