The Ghost

​I used to be a ghost,
pale shell of my
former and current self.
 
My skin was white.
Shiny without a hint
of a tan colour,
even after hours
in the piercing sun.
 
Skin used to cling
to the bones in my body,
showing all that was underneath.
No amount of foods would or could hide
the shrinking body that I felt.
 
So sick all the time
even as I slept
and rested for days.
I wished for the strength
that would never come.
 
Could not recognize myself
in the reflective mirror.
Mind was playing tricks
while tired, not thinking.
It hurt so much.
 
Rebuilding from the shell
of my former self took time.
Digging out from a sickness
that has taken a spirit
I had almost forgotten.
 
The ghost in me slowly
took time to fully breath life.
Happiness, contentment rediscovered
by strengthening thoughts
on a solitary path.
 
Now I hold onto
what will not be compromised
so I never see the ghost
That was once me.
 
August 19, 2017
© Andrew Scott – Just a Maritime Boy 2017