‘I’m going now, so I bid you good-bye if you like, 
you can read about my demise in the Sunday paper
A tragic dramatic ending to my sordid life I leave no note but know 
I go so not to cause more strife to those who love the me 
They believe me to be.’

You left me I suppose so I could be forever free, 
at least ‘free’ from the physical you but not the fractured memories
of your melodic voice and blue eyes or the way you smiled at me

And so you left this world clothed in a suit of self hate, 
when you went knocking, begging at the hallowed gates 
I bet they made you wait before they turned you away
so in hell’s limbo you wander far from the daunting fray 
of our shattered souls that fight to live every single day

Did you think..of those you left behind, how you broke our hearts
for we will never be the same now shrouded in shame… a mystery 
forever asking ourselves why you slipped and fell apart

How selfish of you to leave us with nothing but self-blame, 
how conceited to think of no one else only your own pain
While we are left to grieve forever in winter’s pouring rain.

©2019 Linda Lee Lyberg

Author’s Note: This is my first time to write Confessional poetry. On February 18, 1994 my husband of almost 7 years killed himself.  In this poem, the first stanza is in what I imagine to be his voice. The remainder of the poem is in mine and those he left behind.

Linda Lee Lyberg is an author, poet, wife, and mother. She resides in Mesa, AZ with her husband Pete (aka The Big Viking) of 23 years and her dog, Ricky Bobby who loves to go real fast. She writes various forms of poetry, as well as short stories. Several of her works have appeared in various anthologies and online literary magazines.
You can read more of her works at: charmedchaos.com and her Amazon Author Page