The Burden of Secrets
The Burden of Secrets…

And who will know, these secrets you hold,
these whispers to self in a silent room,
all that you yourself do not admit,
kept aside as if to commit to self-deceit.
Yet, these secrets resound,
like echoes inside your head,
taunting the lies you subscribe
to hold those truths from life and light.
Who wins this game, who’ll discover the shame
you have for their keep,
these secrets only you hide, only you heap,
like a bonfire never lit?
And time passes and their weight becomes a burden,
their shame a twist in the fabric of you,
these secrets and skewed beliefs,
deemed unholy in your world.
Eventually they burst at the seams,
these lost dreams and seeds of darkness,
all that taints your eyes of you,
all that others could reject and know what’s true.
And so on death bed lay,
you and all your secrets, festered,
that soured and invested you to their silence,
that in the end did take your life away,
their burden, too much to pay.
Tony DeLorger © 2016
- Brutal Night - March 30, 2021
- Like a Breeze Recalls - March 27, 2021
- Torrents - September 5, 2020







Why must it be so hard to let truths be known? To open one’s self to truths, embrace them and honour them opens the heart to love and a much happier life. So well stated in verse, Tony. Great work.
I agree, being honest and truthful is a far better way to live, particularly in regard to self. Take care.
So much easier to be honest with oneself, but opening up to others, is another beast. Fear of judgement and rejection are strong emotions. I have always admired the confidence of those that could care less what others think. I learned very young, to care very much what others think, that other’s opinions and thoughts mattered more than my own, so to be free with secrets would damage the facade, so to speak. Poetry gives me that outlet, that freedom. Great piece Tony, obviously got me going…ha! Sorry.
Best,
Mel
No, don’t be sorry, we all can be jolted by words and reconsider how they apply to us. I think as you get older you tend to care less about what people think about you, but ultimately we all want to be accepted, appreciated and loved. We are indeed complex beings, filled with anxieties and fears that often dictate our responses to the world. Glad it made you think Mel. Take care.