Goodbye Ghost

By Aila Michelle Weiner

awake again without a reason why 

the ghostly fingers drag along my spine 

telling me that everything is fine 

that I don’t have to suffer; dry my eyes. 

because we put your body in the ground 

and covered you with stones and words and light 

declared you were the champion of the fight 

for listening to the wisdoms you had found

so, when you take my hand at 3 am 

and walk me down the hallway of my dreams 

I know you are the shadow of my doubts 

reminding me to prune along the stem 

your memory nearly bursting at the seams 

I leave the door ajar and let you out.

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Alia is a Los Angeles–based poet, mother, and multidisciplinary artist. She writes in sonnets, villanelles, free verse, and haiku. In addition to her poetry, she has independently produced music and film.