# Shameless

Author: ShingetsuMoon
Tags: Emotion, Poem, Poetry, Shame, guilt

#19 of National Poetry Writing Month

Poem number 19 for National Poetry Month! This one is about my thoughts on the difference between shame and guilt. Keep in mind this is just my thoughts/partially my own experiences here.

* * *

Shame is pointless.  
Shame is worthless.  
Shame is useless.  
Shame is meaningless.

Shame is an immobilizing  
poison that serves no purpose  
other then to make you feel bad  
over something you may not  
even have done yourself.

Shame is a defense.  
Shame is an excuse.  
Shame is standing there feeling  
bad for yourself when you could  
be doing something about it.

Shame is not guilt.  
Guilt is not shame.

Anyone can feel ashamed of  
what they've done. But how  
many of them honestly feel  
guilty over it?

Guilt gnaws away at you.  
It stabs at you.  
It sinks its claws into your  
brain and refuses to let go  
until you have gotten up and  
done something to fix the   
situation.

Shame is not guilt.  
Shame can be ignored.  
Guilt cannot.

Shame can linger for a short  
time but it can also fade away  
just as quickly as it came.

If you've done something to me then  
I don't want you to stand there being  
ashamed of yourself. I want you to   
feel guilty.

Those who feel truly, deeply guilty   
are compelled to do something.  
Those who feel shame stand   
there waiting for the world   
to change around them.

Standing there in shame over   
the sins others have committed  
is pointless.

If you really felt that bad you  
would get up and do something  
to fix it. And if you couldn't fix it  
then at least you would have the   
satisfaction of knowing you did more  
then just stand there watching it happen.

I don't want to feel shame.  
I want to feel guilt.  
I don't want to stand there feeling  
sorry for myself while  
after something bad happens.

I want to be the one who stands  
up and stops it from happening  
at all. And if I couldn't stop it.  
If I couldn't help them then at   
least I know I tried my best.

At least I know I didn't leave   
them to suffer alone thinking  
that no one else noticed or cared.

You may have felt ashamed when  
you saw what they said but do you  
feel guilty?

Do you even remember it at all?

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/ZmM6OZpn
Part of the series National Poetry Writing Month
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