How was I to know

I stare at the ceiling as I lay on my back The sky is gray and all is silent It is cold and unforgiving as I notice the quiet around me I close my eyes forever I dream of waking somewhere else I walk among clouds or I am stuck in nightmares Anywhere is better than here There is something whispering in my ear as it tells me I do not belong here or have I never belonged anywhere? Now, it doesn't matter The voices in my headspace grow dim and their love does not reach me I stare instead into a stygian abyss and I realize after I've died that there is nothing left And as I die so do my memories The world still moves on and my stories die with me No one knows I'm dead as I am a ghost The ghost who appears in the back of my mind and who screams so loud it becomes a whisper

©2023 Shane Blackheart