Shame Flows

he was a good boy (in his parents' eyes)
he was loved (for what he did)

so he did what he needed to
to keep their love

he was the dutiful son
he didn't speak unless spoken to
he didn't cry when he was hurt
his room was neat and tidy
his toys on the shelf pristine

he kept mum happy
he kept papa proud

but he didn't know how to keep himself
so he carried the loss

his heart beat
but it only beat him down
its message was
you are unworthy of love
for who you are

shame flowed with each beat
he didn't know what else there was
to fill his heart

it was where his heart was
he carried the loss

/ / /

This poem was written in response to the Better Inside Out prompt at We Write Poems.

It was written very much in response to this sentence from the original prompt idea: "But shame in itself is also a useless state of being, restoring nothing that might have been damaged, and is at root a self-centered point of view."