Tell the Truth

 I won't ask you how it felt.
You wouldn't answer anyway.
I won't ask where you went or why.
You'd just tell another lie.

(Tell me the truth now)

What's so hard about being truthful?
Why do you shy away from it?
What is your damage?
Are you a fool in knight's armour?

I know your name.
I saw what you did.
Your fierce words ...
left a deep, festering wound.

Sometimes, I forget the day it happened.
Sometimes, I wake up from nightmares.

(Tell me the truth)

When you return, as you will,
tell me everything that hurt you.
Tell me what got in the way.
Tell me how you survived the horror.

Let us find a way to forgive.
Can we restore the joy?
Where and when will you settle down?
When will you sleep deeply again?

(Tell the truth, if you can)

There's regret to be noted.
Somewhere in time,
we'll meet again.
Let healing release you from pain.

 ©Ellen Pepper 2026