Reflecting on the past year

One of my favorite things about December is reflecting on the past year and trying to understand why I feel like total shit. Normally I just do this in my journal- each month gets a short paragraph, stating my accomplishments, realizations, and failures. I read through entries from the past year, laughing and crying. Re-experiencing moments of complete disaster, while feeling lied to when I read over moments of excitement or joy. This year, I thought I’d capture moments to post on my blog. There’ll be poems, letters, just plain paragraphs, or maybe even lists.
I’m starting with November of last year, because I found this poem and it captures the darkness and anger I felt, so well.


The walls of Hell are closing in.
There’s a peephole to the outside world;
Evil has taken over
Killings of all creatures.
The elephant’s face has been removed
And sold by the greedy.
Tigers are left bare in the cold night,
While men wear their fur.
Kittens are murdered by cruel boys,
Puppies tortured by princesses.
Animals that fight back are shot
People that fight back are locked in cages.
And those dying of pain are hidden away;
Some hide in Hell to escape the pain
Others find their way out.
But tonight, a woman that continues to face the pain of her past
Tucks herself away to burn in tears.
The walls of hell are closing in.