Senryu: Hidden

At the End of Everything Version 10

Photoshop Manipulation by The Real Cie

I am not ashamed

Of the one who haunts my heart

But must stay hidden

~Cie~

The prompt today asked participants to write about a secret shame. One of the suggestions was that one might be ashamed of eating "too many cookies." That's a trick statement, there is no such thing as too many cookies. 

However, that is not what this poem is about.

I decided to do a little twist on the prompt. What if the secret is not something shameful, but must be hidden anyway. What if the poem's protagonist is homosexual but comes from a homophobic family? What if, as in many dramas, the protagonist is from a rich family and falls in love with a poor person, and their family does not approve?

I actually wrote the poem from the point of view of Pepper, the female protagonist from Team Netherworld's WIP, Fetch. Pepper, a medium, loves Gerry, a ghost. There is actually nothing shameful about Pepper's feelings for Gerry. They are both older adults. However, the majority of the populace would not understand Pepper's feelings. Thus, in order to avoid becoming a pariah or even being institutionalized, Pepper must keep her feelings to herself.