cruel kindness
by crystal tiara

my canvas was painted in black and white,
half blank, half drowning
in solitude and melancholy.
but you gave my canvas some color,
you added a few yellows and oranges
and blues and greens.
yet i should have learned
not to be color blind.
i saw your pity
as something else,
when it was only sympathy,
plain and simple.
i should have seen
that you were only made of
glass – glass that eventually
shattered, its shards flying
everywhere and piercing me.
it hurt and i wanted to
stop the pain – no more, please.
i never knew that you could be so kind
but at the same time so cruel.

Author’s Notes: This is a result of a prompt to make a vignette out of an oxymoron. I picked “cruel kindness”. Interpret this poem however you like. For me, it’s about someone who feels hurt because she was befriended by someone not out of genuine desire, but out of pity. Although this scenario might have happened in someone’s life, I would like to note that this was not based on any events in my life (however, it was kind of inspired by an experience of mine). As always, constructive criticism will be appreciated.