Upon The Shelf? Poem by Mahfooz Ali

There is something different in my home
An emptiness that cannot be filled
It embraces me when I am all alone
When my home is quiet and still.

The memories upon the shelf
Are pictures, cards, and books
My eyes fill quickly with tears
My mind says, 'Please, don't look.'

A feeling that no one can share
A feeling that engulfs only me
A hurt that no one should bear
A pain that no one can see.

I stand in my home, confused
And the tears, they start to flow
I know that something is wrong
But I don't want to know.

Is it a wonder that I am sinking
In a place within myself
Where no hurt or pain can touch me
Or those memories upon the shelf?