You tell yourself
that time heals all wounds.
You tell yourself moving on is pretending
not to see his face everytime someone
mentions the color blue.
You tell yourself that this has made you
stronger, that everything happens for a
reason.

You tell yourself not to cry when
it's six years later.
You tell yourself that one day you’ll
walk into that ice rink without tearing up.
You tell your eleven-year-old self that
things get better, not fully, but better.
When things get bad remember
your angel is there watching over you.

You tell yourself
to keep your grades up and to not let them
slip, even though nothing matters to you anymore.
You tell yourself to be strong not only
for yourself but your mother too.
You tell yourself you’ve lost a brother,
but your mother has lost a son.

You tell yourself
You hate Thursdays, but in reality
you hate that one Thursday.
You tell yourself you hate September
but you just hate the 16th.
You ask yourself “Why didn’t I
stop all this?” But you had no control
over the situation.
You tell yourself you’ll never do
drugs but when you take an aspirin
you can barely swallow.
You tell yourself,
you’ll meet again and that it’s
not goodbye but
see you later.