I thought that they would never leave

Entered in "The Writer's Cramp"  - did not place.
40 LINES
Form: Rhyming.
4-Line verses, AABB Rhyme Scheme.

I thought that they would never leave
Those notions that lie, voices that deceive.
For months they ran around my head
In daylight hours or lying awake in bed.

They shouted, they whispered, they goaded me
To despair, they wouldn't let me be.
"You're no good," they said. "You're useless."
And for a while, I must confess

I believed what they said was right
Those voices of darkness blocked the light.
I believed I had no purpose in life
Not being a lover, girlfriend or wife.

I believed the future held nothing for me
Not having any offspring on the family tree.
I thought I didn't matter to anyone
From myself, I just wanted to run.

I don't have my own business
Or a steady job, or big success.
I wasn't popular in my school
I was teacher's pet, I wasn't cool.

This is what the voices said
But my friends made me think instead
Of all the people whose lives I touch
My students, to whom I matter so much.

There are those I've inspired
To read, write, one of them has been hired
As copywriter thanks to my advice
To 'go creative', career-wise.

So I've made a difference, I am important
And the voices? They're no longer rampant.
Thanks to the support of those that care
Those voices have disappeared to thin air.

I thought that they would never leave
That I was doomed, forever, to grieve
For my future, my present, for my past
But those voices were driven out at last.

Do you have voices in your head?
Voices, whose mutterings you dread?
Don't let them speak, don't let them grow
You are a special person, you know!