The Aftermath Poem by Maya Reid

No one ever asks about
The aftermath
I wonder who out there
Has ever stopped to wonder
What happened once it was all over

There was an accident a few weeks ago
When I asked this girl about it
All I asked was
‘What happened’
‘Is everyone okay? ’
I didn’t ask about her
Or how she knew
Didn’t care that she’d been in a nearby car
And after the ambulance drove away
And the wreck had been cleared
She was left all alone
Standing there
Staring
At the empty space
Where a life used to be

We broke up awhile ago
For a day or two people asked
‘What happened
Are you okay? ’
But only for a day or two
And then they went away
They never asked what I thought
How I felt
After those few days
Was I still okay?
Who cares – I was old news
Life moved on to somebody else
And their problems
It was over
Done
No need to worry about me anymore

Everyone cares about the conflict
The crash
The broken relationships and shattered glass
But the aftermath?
No one cares about the impact
No one sees the scars the glass left
And when you can’t find every last little piece
And therefore aren’t pieced together exactly the same
Everyone asks what’s wrong
No one seems to understand why
They don’t get that skid marks
Copy themselves on innocent peoples’ hearts

So this is my apology
I’m sorry when I lash out at you
And you don’t understand why
I forgot that you can’t see the scar
And you don’t feel the sore spot
To you, this all just disappeared
To all those who’ve forgotten
What happened to somebody
Remember this:
For some of us,
Life doesn’t move on that easily
Sometimes life gets stuck
And over it isn’t an option

So I’m sorry that you don’t get it
But I hope you never will
And me?
I’m gonna be a bit bitter
I’m gonna yell for no apparent reason
I won’t be as happy as I’m supposed to be
You touch me there and yes, I’ll scream
But you don’t understand
So for you I’ll laugh and smile and make it seem
Like I’m also having the time of my life
But while you’re just laughing
I’m being nobody.
I’m the one who wonders
What happens to a laugh when the sound is over?