stranger and friend

painful memories come and go

then come again

both stranger and friend

omnipresent

under weighted blanket

in the tears that fall

haunting and pervasive

rising up inside

then fading away

residing in places and smells

in taste buds and inside walls

coming alive just long enough

to take your breath away

leaving before you remember

it isn’t always this way

making you forget how far you’ve come

rising up to slow you down

test the healing that you’ve found

when it goes

watch it leave

and know you’ll survive once more

when it creeps into your veins

and permeates your dreams