Ireland's OWN Poetry and Prose

death
—by Conghalaigh

i printed out the bad news
and bad reviews
of me life
tried to erase them
tried to soak the hate from the pages
stronger and stronger solvents
to somehow make me life blank again

it never worked
ink and hate are permanent
only making the pages blacker and blacker
as mean as life has been
no amnesty
no fresh clean pages

so
i ate them
page by page
cruelty by cruelty
line by line

i ate
your case is still under consideration by the united kingdom

i ate
i was only trying to love you when i lied

i ate
each and every word
the solvents
hospital
observation
rational to me
but how do you explain
to work
the the man you call god
to the women who 'care'
that you were only trying to erase them
not kill yourself