Ghost of You

"Ghost of You" captures the stages of grief after a relationship ends, exploring the journey from pain to acceptance and the healing found in self-empowerment.

It’s been six days now, but who’s really counting?
Last week, two days felt like a mountain.
Or in your own words, "it’s been a while,"
Missed me? I Wanted to reply,
but feared for my smile.

A yes from you would have killed me inside,
So, I stayed silent, letting my feelings collide.
In one short week, I grieved us in stages,
Flipping through heartbreak’s fragile pages.

Denial�"staring at my phone all night,
Waiting for your text to make things right.
Anger�"blaming you for pain you never caused,
Bargaining�"wondering where we paused.

Did you feel something? Was it ever real?
Or did you just lose the thrill and appeal?
Depression�"craving the sight of your name,
Hoping your text would ease my pain.

Acceptance? I’m not there yet, but I’m trying,
Fighting the fears that keep me dying.
Sorry I blamed you for all of my cares,
Sorry I called you through fake tears.

Thank you for your time, and maybe your lies,
Meeting you was brief, oh how fast time flies.
You showed me strengths I forgot I had,
Even if wanting you made me sad.

Now I stand without your validation,
Free from your messy, brown-eyed temptation.
Still, I catch myself scrolling your page,
A silent prisoner locked in your cage.

But you were a lesson I needed to learn,
A mirror reflecting where I should turn.
The hundredth time, though it wasn’t great,
Showed me the pieces of me I must recreate.

Thanks to psychology, I finally see,
You and the others were parts of me�"
Broken fragments I tried to replace,
But healing means I must embrace my own space.

Thank you for being the ghost you are,
A flickering light, a distant star.
Please stay away; I’m trying not to sway,
Be the ghost you are�"I don’t want you to stay.

Thank you for your time, and your subtle goodbye,
For teaching me heroes can make you cry.
Now I’m certain that this is through�"
So, here’s my farewell: goodbye to you.

Author's Note

What did you feel while reading this poem? Did the stages of grief make sense to you? How did the ending feel? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Reviews

[emipoemi]

Given the solid musicality of the rest of the poem, I'm finding myself stumbling over the "....I must recreate" line - feels a mouthful in comparison. It does feel like it has a poetic purpose, but "recreate" isn't really "repair" (you could have made used the musical oddity as device for something broken, but that's not what the line is implying, is it?). My real concern, though is the beginning feels confusing as to what you're trying to say before you go through the motions. That "or" is confusing. Are you going through the motions in front of him or did he leave and you go through the motions? The looking through his page feels like part of the motions, but where is the object "you" throughout the poem? How is this really addressed? Just found that confusing. The actual going through the motions: no notes! That's done stupendously. The connection to the beginning, as in the transition into the motions, just feels a bit weird, though that's a solid first two lines. Well done overall.

[MCS]

So many layers here, picking at scar we all carry following such events. Well done!