Untitled Works

I cannot breathe

My throat closes around truth

Like a fist around a butterfly

Family gatherings become

Performances where I play

The role of someone whole

While beneath my skin

A scream builds soundlessly.

My hands hover over keyboards

Creating ghosts of what could be

But every word feels hollow

Every stroke a betrayal

Of the perfect thoughts that die

Between my mind and screen

Until I turn off my phone

On another empty day

I am the ghost at every table

Wondering if my chair

Would better serve another

Conversations flow around me

Like water parts around a stone

And I nod and smile on cue

While counting seconds

Until I can fade away

I am watching through the glass

At someone wearing my face

Moving through familiar rooms

Speaking lines I should know

But the script is written

In a language I forgot

And all I can do is stand here

Pressing palms against this wall

That separates me from myself

While time flows endlessly

In both directions

And I remain

Watching through the glass