“Our Guilt” (Revision)

[north dock]

I feel guilt for you and me.
But mostly for you. 
I feel the weight of a heavy stone on my back, and yours,
But yours is a boulder. 
This should not be a shared burden, 
it should be yours alone.

This feeling is one of sorrow
 and remorse 
and twisted accountability 
that only you should take.
You deserve it after all.
Should I feel guilty? Should you? 
I feel guilty, 
but it is your guilt that should drown you.

I will no longer take responsibility
for what you won’t own up to. 
The feeling is one of pain and penance, 
of fault and falsities.
But it should be you who bears these emotions, not me
I feel guilty for believing 
every awful word you said. 
And you should feel guilty for everything you put me through, 
or at least you should.

I feel guilt for what happened, 
but you, the guilty one,
who has no remorse for your actions, 
no regrets,
should carry this burden.

“Our guilt” should be yours and yours alone.

[novel iron]

Nice poem.

Interesting themes and frankly I DON'T GET IT!

😭

But it is like sucking up to oneself

To face it and still stay the same.

[floral zenith]

aww

this is so great

help

I feel it thru the screen

[frosty wind]

To me, it standed out as a raw and haunting exploration of guilt, both the kind that is unjustly shared and the kind that should rest solely on the shoulders of the truly guilty, the weight of responsibility is a central theme, captured powerfully in lines like

"I feel the weight of a heavy stone on my back, and yours, but yours is a boulder"
The contrast here is striking, your burden is heavy, but theirs should be crushing
Yet, paradoxically, they don’t seem to carry it at all
There’s a quiet, simmering anger beneath the sorrow in your words
The repetition of
“Should I feel guilty? Should you?”
forces a moment of reflection, as if the speaker is grappling with the unfairness of misplaced responsibility
And yet, the answer is clear,
"I feel guilty, but it is your guilt that should drown you"
This is not just an emotional declaration, it’s an indictment.

One of the most impactful moments in the poem is the line-

"I feel guilty for believing, every awful word you said"
It’s a subtle shift, from guilt over actions to guilt over perception
The realization that self-blame was misplaced adds another layer of complexity, making the poem not just about the weight of guilt, but about reclaiming power from it

The ending, "‘Our guilt’ should be yours and yours alone", is like a closing statement in a trial, Final, Uncompromising
The speaker is done carrying what isn’t theirs
And that’s what makes this poem so powerful, not just its grief, but its resolve

Your writing is beautifully structured, with a natural rhythm that gives it weight without forced rhyme
The use of repetition, contrast, and stark imagery makes the emotions hit harder. It’s a quiet storm of words, controlled yet deeply felt, A truly moving piece
Overall, well written buddy🍻