STRONGER THAN THE VOID

 

Dearest Aku;

I have learned a lot since you left.
You shattered my heart, but still,
I have learned to be kind to others
and to empathize with their pain,
for I now understand the feeling of being unloved,
disrespected—not cared for,
and kept in the dark.

I know how words can hurt
and pierce the soul, leaving a void.
Your absence has taught me the torment,
the suffering—the misery
of realizing the extent of emotional damage
from being left alone to deal with things.

I never realized how terrible it was
until you failed to respond
to all fourteen of my previous letters,
written to you with love.

I have trained my mind to be stronger than my emotions,
and I will never be the reason
someone endures the agony of rejection.