To All The Years

"One last toast..."

To All The Years

One last toast -
Poured on the grave of my dreams
(The dead must also imbibe)

A toast to all the years
I could not speak:

Ten shots of silence
To the childhood where I masked

Seven shots of sleepless nights
Where my grades were all they asked

~ a moment of silence for the three years I was free ~

Two shots of bitter regret
For thinking I could get away

Nine shots of blinding pain and darkness
For the decade I barely escaped

and then 

Seven shots of trying too hard, 
For gaslighting myself into a 
Second round of mistakes.

Finally, one large punchbowl
Of cherry red koolaid 
to bring my blood sugar up, 
and my blood pressure down...
and smiles to my kids’ frowns.

May they never find traces
Of those years on our faces.

©2025  @StaceyBattlestheWorld