Love Poem: Pain's Anthem
Andy Sprouse Avatar
Written by: Andy Sprouse

Pain's Anthem

I listen to new music,
I enjoy its thrill;
those moments of release, when a guitar riff
or drum solo unravels your soul, 
loosens your grip on stress
and pierces its haze, taking you away.

But there are some songs
that instead take me back, make things worse;
those piano-fueled slow songs and orchestral harmonies
just bring back things best left put away;
the swelling melodies rip apart any progress I've made
in recovering from the past.

When I hear a soft, emotional voice
or the mournful cry of a violin,
raw memories flood to the fore,
and thus am I stricken;
the sorrowful ballad and the love song become
the soundtrack to my heartache.