Love Poem: Beyond the mask she wore
Ayanda Dlanga Avatar
Written by: Ayanda Dlanga

Beyond the mask she wore

"Tell Romeo i love him and goodbye "
The words echo in my mind like a haunting whisper
A lingering shadow that refuses to fade
Questions makrs landed upon me,
Crushing my mind like chewed gum,sticky and suffocating 
The weight of her words,a burden i cannot bear,
A boulder that presses upon my chest

In her voice ,
A hint of desperation, 
A cry for help that went unheaded,
A plea that fell on deaf ears,
A farewell that seemed like a joke,a taunt,a slap in the face,
But was really a scream in the darkness.
I thought she was just being dramatic, 
That she was just seeking attention 
But now i realize she was begging for someone to listen 
To see beyond the mask she wore

But not I'm left with the what-ifd,the if-onlys ,why-didn't-is,
The guilt of not sèeing the signs,
Of not being there for her when she needed me the most,
Of not holding her close enough, 
Of not loving her enough, 
The anguish of knowing that her last words were a plea 
A scream,a final goodbye, a door slamming,
Shut that can never be reopened 

"Tell Romeo i love him and goodbye "
The words that haunt me,
A reminder of what i didn't do 
Of whatbi couldn't see,
Of what I'll never get to say,
A reminder that sometimes,
Goodbyes are forever, 
That sometimes, love isn't enough, 
That sometimes we lose those we love,
Because we didn't know 
How to hold on tight enough.