fire (Photo credit: matthewvenn)
The cruellest truths
You can’t unlearn
You’ll try to forget
Or to overturn
These ravages of
Crystal memory
That know no fall
No entropy
Your innocence
Once lost is gone
The bitterest truths
Are hardest won
And hardest left
To hail and rain
You’ll stamp them out
But they’ll remain
Once wisdom’s seen
You can’t turn back
You’ll cry for youth
Your heart turned black
You’ll plug your ears
Gouge out your eyes
You can’t evade
This icy prize
You can’t unlearn
All you have seen
Can’t wish away
Or call it dream
It’s such a price
To learn the truth
You’ll run away
Refute the proof
The cruellest truths
You can’t unlearn
These scars you bear
Are those you earned
No matter how
You cry or yearn
Your old life’s gone
And won’t return
And so it seems
For wisdom learned
The heart is broken
The soul is burned
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, Al Rights Reserved
This little dark poem is my response to the life lesson prompt (prompt 16) for mindlovemisery. It’s just about the loss of innocence and how that changes you. See mindlovemisery’s wonderful work at http://mindlovemisery.wordpress.com
helenvalentina 
This is so true there are so many unfortunate defense mechanisms I learned when dealing with a traumatic past and though effective at the time they are detrimental now. On a more humorous note I kept mixing up the light switch with the fan switch in the bathroom (no idea why) but finally my husband rewired the switches altogether since I was always in a dark bathroom with the fan on lol I am really not with it in the morning or at night haha
LOL! I think the poem was quite influenced by watching Twin Peaks all afternoon and thinking about the Laura Palmer story (hence loss of innocence) and then all the deeper, spiritual white/black lodge stuff, so I’m in a weird mindset this evening. 🙂
I haven’t seen Twin Peaks in a long time but I remember that I thoroughly enjoyed it =) I love what you have written Helen =) Weird is good I definitely find myself getting a little weird when I read or watch certain things, weirder I mean haha
Lol! Tv can be quite influential. 🙂 🙂
wow, a great offering, nicely done!
Thank you!!! 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much!!! 🙂 🙂
Lovely. Beautifully put.x
Thank you!!! 🙂 🙂
You’reyou’re welcome. I often think faith is like that. Once believed, can’t unbelievers, no matter how much it would suit to do so. Really enjoyed.x
The owls are not what they seem.
Indeed they are not. And sometimes my arms bend backwards, LOL. Trying not to get lost in the Red Room……
Reminds me of how my childhood evaporated.
Ah, that is sad indeed – the loss of innocence is so hard, you never realise the change until it’s done, and then there’s no turning back!!
Oh, Helen this touches me deeply. As my children are growing and inevitably experiencing more of the world, they are having things burned into them just by walking through their lives. I am thankful to be able to walk them through all of it in love, but so many do not have that. This was a very touching piece. Big hugs.
Thanks so much Skye – I am sure you will be a wonderful guide for your children, ensuring the best lessons are learned in the best possible way. 🙂
really like the refrain of the cruelest truths cant be unlearned…so sad as well…experience is surely not the best teacher…particularly in the hardest of lessons….
Thanks so much!! 🙂 🙂
Oh yeah, kind-a dark, kind-a deep, kind-a deep in the dark, but wisdom gained is a hard won prize and clears away the darkest skies! Great writing Helen!
Thank you – what a fabulous, poetic comment!! 🙂 🙂
Dark and deep but I identified
Thank you, so much appreciated!! 🙂 🙂
I did and thank you!
yes we do learn from our mistakes…very nicely put in this poem…
Thanks so much!! 🙂 🙂
The darkest truths burn the deepest for sure. So many things I wish I had never learned but such is life. Remarkable job on this poem!
Thank you so much!! 🙂 🙂
This is very wise. I have often felt nostalgic for those times when I didn’t know all I do now, but on reflection I have never really wished to unlearn anything…not really. I accept that I wouldn’t be who I am without the lessons life’s chosen to teach me and I have always wanted to be ever and further inwardly awake…because that’s the only way I know to develop greater understanding, compassion and love. Hmmmm, as you see, this poem touched me! Thanks for sharing:-)
Thanks so much – it’s very true that what we learn helps make us. 🙂 🙂
No matter how
You cry or yearn
Your old life’s gone
And won’t return
All too true! Your poem is the story of my life put into words — thanks for giving me a voice!
Thank you so much!! 🙂 🙂
So very sadly true.
Thank you!!! 🙂 🙂