Those lines land with real force—quiet at first, then suddenly everything breaks open. You drew me in so gently, and then came the shatter. Lines like these—“Right there on that carpet / next to the football game / while the world spun on / like it didn’t even notice”—are placed with such care, pressing in just where it hurts most.
Keep writing it all down and pour every thought onto the page. Your honesty is what draws people in; it’s what I look for, what I need. In a world where surface and spin are everywhere, real words matter. Thank you for sharing something true. You’ve done what many can’t: faced life head-on and left a mark with your words. Those four lines now live on my wall, alongside poets unafraid to say what’s real, lines that don’t just impress but stay.
Well I think you are Amazing! I am not just saying that , your way with expression and words ! It brought a tear to my eye , some people can,t express things , you can , you have ?,,and your words wil help someone else , I have carried my own pain for years , here one minute Gone the next minute is tough , ! Anyway I am going to read all your other stuff Im abit lost for words at the moment ,
You can’t rush healing. Most people who rush healing end up right where they were in the first place. You only get one body. Please take care of yourself. 💕
You have a real talent to take us right to that room and watch with you. I cannot imagine the fear that gripped you. Those closest to a person are usually the ones that freeze. It’s too much to take in. It’s too fast!
I am sorry you lost your Dad that day, but don’t pay for it with the rest of your life, Shain. You are a very special person. 💕
Thank you Sandra. That night I can still replay in my mind I can even remember what my cousins were yelling. That’s why it stuck. It’s that moment in time which has long gone that I can’t rewind and add edits. So now when people reach out, I will never turn away because I know the struggles and helplessness ( maybe not all of it but I can relate) and I appreciate that they feel safe enough to share and I will always be there for support. Even if I am an invisible one, I just hope that people don’t feel alone. -Shain
Thank you. It’s one of those experiences that shape you, this one was when I first started to realize the fragility of everything. He passed at a fairly young age, and was healthy, the a cardiac arrest and within 15 minutes(that’s how long it took for the paramedics to get to us), he was already gone. The guilt I still feel about the argument and me not talking to him for the rest of that day, even when we were watching the game still haunts me to this day.- Shain
I’m sure he is smiling, every time you doubt yourself just think of how proud he would be of your beautiful soul and writing. I know life gets tough but take it day by day and remember it’s ok to break sometimes.
I try to and today is one of those days where I’m in too much pain from my head, to my uncooperative stomach to my bronchitis which is taking its goddamned time to disappear. Thanks for your kind words. He’d probably give a whack in the back of the head for good measure saying ‘go and rest you stubborn ass.’ - Shain
This is painful for me to read. I recently lost someone dear to me, and I am trying hard to deal with it. I started this substack when I was having a good moment to do something like you are doing, but
I'm still mourning, and I crashed out because I started writing and I cried too much. Your words seem to be speaking what I'm thinking. This one was heartbreaking, but you wrote it, and that's what matters. I will come back to try and write (I'm giving myself until the end of June, hopefully my mood swings won't be so extreme by then) when I am ready, and I hope you will give me a chance and follow me as well. Sorry to hear you are ill, please get well soon.
Thank you for saying this. I know how hard it is to write when the grief is fresh, when even your own hands feel too heavy to move and your mind keeps replaying things.
If anything I wrote mirrored the ache in you, then maybe neither of us is as alone as we thought.
Take your time. No pressure, no deadlines. I’m following you.
When you start posting,I’ll be there reading, not judging. I really appreciate you. -Shain
It truly means a lot to hear from you, Shain. Your words about grief and the feeling of heavy hands resonate deeply, and it's comforting to know that we might not be as alone in these experiences as we sometimes feel.
I appreciate your understanding and patience more than I can say. Knowing you'll be there, without judgment, when I'm ready to share takes a huge weight off. Thank you for your kindness and support. It means the world. I decided that i'll be writing about music and my experiences. Hope you'll enjoy it. I just need a bit of time.
Thank you so much , I hope to read your works soon. Hopefully there are artists that i haven’t heard before. I love that, just finding new music, art and writers. I’ll be here. -Shain
Amazing heart pour Shain. Thank you for letting the ghost of this painful memory speak on the page. We break open in our writing and sometimes it helps. I too hope you’re resting well.
Your words hit deep. I never set out to gut punch people knowingly, I do what I can to speak as clearly and as honestly as I possible, no matter how much it pains me to relive the memories, but sometimes truth just lands like that.
Thank you for staying with the piece even when it hurt.
Those lines land with real force—quiet at first, then suddenly everything breaks open. You drew me in so gently, and then came the shatter. Lines like these—“Right there on that carpet / next to the football game / while the world spun on / like it didn’t even notice”—are placed with such care, pressing in just where it hurts most.
Hey Mike,
That means more than you know.
I’m always chasing that quiet break,that moment where the page doesn’t just speak, it cracks.
If those lines pressed where it hurt, it’s only because that’s where they came from.
Thank you for not looking away. - Shain
Keep writing it all down and pour every thought onto the page. Your honesty is what draws people in; it’s what I look for, what I need. In a world where surface and spin are everywhere, real words matter. Thank you for sharing something true. You’ve done what many can’t: faced life head-on and left a mark with your words. Those four lines now live on my wall, alongside poets unafraid to say what’s real, lines that don’t just impress but stay.
Hey Mike,
I don’t take that lightly,especially the part about the wall.
I’ve spent most of my life trying to make sense of the noise inside,
and writing’s the only way I’ve ever felt like I’m not drowning in it.
To know these words landed somewhere real,
to know they stayed,
that means more than I’ve got clean language for.
I’ll keep showing up on the page,
as long as the truth keeps showing up in people like you.
Thank you.
-Shain
Well I think you are Amazing! I am not just saying that , your way with expression and words ! It brought a tear to my eye , some people can,t express things , you can , you have ?,,and your words wil help someone else , I have carried my own pain for years , here one minute Gone the next minute is tough , ! Anyway I am going to read all your other stuff Im abit lost for words at the moment ,
I don’t always know how to respond to kindness like this.
But thank you,for reading, for feeling it, for saying it.
Some people can’t find the words.
Some of us have too many.
I’m grateful you saw something worth holding in mine.
If it helps even one person carry their pain a little better, I’ve done what I came here to do.-Shain
Ii can’t imagine how hard it was to write this. But you did a fantastic job. 💕
Now please go back to resting! 💕
Yeah, this one took more out of me than I care to admit. Writing it felt like pulling splinters from under the skin, necessary, but not painless.
I’m trying to listen. To rest. Even if my mind keeps pacing like it missed the memo.
But your words, they help. They really do. Appreciate you. -Shain
Thank you Shain. That’s me, the mothering nurse praying for you. 🙏🏻💕
Thank you so much Sandra. I hope this will subside soon cuz my mind is racing but I feel my body is letting me down. -Shain
You can’t rush healing. Most people who rush healing end up right where they were in the first place. You only get one body. Please take care of yourself. 💕
You have a real talent to take us right to that room and watch with you. I cannot imagine the fear that gripped you. Those closest to a person are usually the ones that freeze. It’s too much to take in. It’s too fast!
I am sorry you lost your Dad that day, but don’t pay for it with the rest of your life, Shain. You are a very special person. 💕
Thank you Sandra. That night I can still replay in my mind I can even remember what my cousins were yelling. That’s why it stuck. It’s that moment in time which has long gone that I can’t rewind and add edits. So now when people reach out, I will never turn away because I know the struggles and helplessness ( maybe not all of it but I can relate) and I appreciate that they feel safe enough to share and I will always be there for support. Even if I am an invisible one, I just hope that people don’t feel alone. -Shain
This was absolutely beautiful, and resonant in a haunting but necessary way.
Thank you. It’s one of those experiences that shape you, this one was when I first started to realize the fragility of everything. He passed at a fairly young age, and was healthy, the a cardiac arrest and within 15 minutes(that’s how long it took for the paramedics to get to us), he was already gone. The guilt I still feel about the argument and me not talking to him for the rest of that day, even when we were watching the game still haunts me to this day.- Shain
This is soul crushing and beautiful. Never lose hope, faith and inspiration. I’m sure your father would be proud of your writing ❤️
Thank you. That means a lot.
Some days, the weight of it still crushes me.
I just hope he’s looking down and smiling and then maybe just maybe I haven’t completely lost my way.
Appreciate you for saying it, truly-Shain
I’m sure he is smiling, every time you doubt yourself just think of how proud he would be of your beautiful soul and writing. I know life gets tough but take it day by day and remember it’s ok to break sometimes.
I try to and today is one of those days where I’m in too much pain from my head, to my uncooperative stomach to my bronchitis which is taking its goddamned time to disappear. Thanks for your kind words. He’d probably give a whack in the back of the head for good measure saying ‘go and rest you stubborn ass.’ - Shain
This is painful for me to read. I recently lost someone dear to me, and I am trying hard to deal with it. I started this substack when I was having a good moment to do something like you are doing, but
I'm still mourning, and I crashed out because I started writing and I cried too much. Your words seem to be speaking what I'm thinking. This one was heartbreaking, but you wrote it, and that's what matters. I will come back to try and write (I'm giving myself until the end of June, hopefully my mood swings won't be so extreme by then) when I am ready, and I hope you will give me a chance and follow me as well. Sorry to hear you are ill, please get well soon.
Hey
Thank you for saying this. I know how hard it is to write when the grief is fresh, when even your own hands feel too heavy to move and your mind keeps replaying things.
If anything I wrote mirrored the ache in you, then maybe neither of us is as alone as we thought.
Take your time. No pressure, no deadlines. I’m following you.
When you start posting,I’ll be there reading, not judging. I really appreciate you. -Shain
It truly means a lot to hear from you, Shain. Your words about grief and the feeling of heavy hands resonate deeply, and it's comforting to know that we might not be as alone in these experiences as we sometimes feel.
I appreciate your understanding and patience more than I can say. Knowing you'll be there, without judgment, when I'm ready to share takes a huge weight off. Thank you for your kindness and support. It means the world. I decided that i'll be writing about music and my experiences. Hope you'll enjoy it. I just need a bit of time.
Thank you so much , I hope to read your works soon. Hopefully there are artists that i haven’t heard before. I love that, just finding new music, art and writers. I’ll be here. -Shain
🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
Hey thanks being a paid subscriber. I’m so thankful that you are here. You have no idea how much this means. -Shain
Nice write up,pls get well soon and take care.
Thanks so much - Shain
Amazing heart pour Shain. Thank you for letting the ghost of this painful memory speak on the page. We break open in our writing and sometimes it helps. I too hope you’re resting well.
Hey ,
Your words hit deep. I never set out to gut punch people knowingly, I do what I can to speak as clearly and as honestly as I possible, no matter how much it pains me to relive the memories, but sometimes truth just lands like that.
Thank you for staying with the piece even when it hurt.
Sometimes I write with a scream in my throat.
Other times, it’s just the silence after.
Either way, thank you for hearing both.
-Shain