No Turn on Red

alcoholicpoet.com

This poem is about knowing yourself in spite of how others may perceive you. 

 louder than i remember it. quieter than it's ever been. thieves in plastic masks. wearing smiles made of skin. 

the edge kept pushing long after we'd fallen. 

the lies held their breath. the zippers sharpened their teeth.

we were counting out loud. as if someone was listening.

the sky fell. just as we knew it would.

we pretended to know. because that was our only defense.

collecting the buttons as the machine fell apart.

imagining someday the puzzle could be solved.

little dolls spent by catastrophe.

flaunting themselves in dirty dresses that never fit quite right. 

Filed under: September 2024 Poetry