Sadness Creeps In

It haunts the edges of sleep, pulling me awake.
It’s etched into my bones, but I feign ignorance with practiced grace.
Drifting from the sorrow of what was left behind to the sting of all I was denied.
Grief grips you where goodbye never felt real, only delayed.
Still aging, as melancholy slips in unseen,
just as life—once merciless—wears a gentler guise.
It sought to engulf me in its depths,
yet I endure, swimming steadfast through the storm.
You’ve lived in me forever—
and I’ve welcomed you with the fervor of a maddened heart.
Sadness slips in as I drift to sleep,
and rises with me—my shadow at dawn.