STORY STARTER
“If only this world had shown me a little more mercy…”
Continue the sentence and write a single scene inspired by it.
Silence
If only this world had shown me a little more mercy,
I wouldn’t have had to smile through lies,
pretend love didn’t hurt—
swallow words I should have let out.
They said I had everything—
but no one saw how lonely it felt,
I was surrounded by faces,
that only wanted pieces of me.
I gave and gave,
until there was nothing left.
And when I finally needed someone,
only silence awaited me.
If only this world had listened,
maybe I wouldn’t have vanished,
while still standing in the room.
I really love how you took the concept of mercy and turned it on its side, making it a liability to what your poem expresses as its central tension - that mercy can lead to ignorance, pretense and sacrifice. That’s such a creative twist on the subject matter. The last two lines really moved me!
Although I too appreciate figurative speech, I think it’s important to point out that this poem is still really well done and communicated. As someone who has also felt this way, I related wholeheartedly and the emotion was communicated so well.
Thank you. And yeah, I’m a literal type of guy so I need to learn how to use figurative language in my writings more often 😅
Great poem! Maybe add more figurative language - poems don't always have to be literal.
❤️❤️❤️
