I lay the masks aside,
face no competition of pride,
no pressure to stride.
Only broken me
on a pink sea
of wrinkled shadows
from sundown.
The great oak knocks at my window
my joke of a life worth something to his breath
even he leaves behind pieces
the way I leave behind words
and absurd stories,
my stupidity laughable.
In harsh winds,
does he shake in anxiety
or is that just me?
I pull apart connections,
let chasms loom their doom
I dare them to swallow me.
They can spit out my bones
the way my closet spits out clothes
after I wrangle outfits together
only to tear them off
for costumes strangle.
The necklaces and bangles
I never wear chime bullying rhymes
as I crawl onto the roof
to get away from the stuffy household
where I fold myself into blankets
trying to go unnoticed
hushing all noise.
My tongue—dry from nervous chatter--
poises all regrets
for my anxiety neglects silence
scared my smile will
sink into its natural frown.
Only broken me
on a pink sea
of wrinkled shadows
from sundown.
In a crowd or alone
I smile with no one to see.
At least alone,
I’m sure the smile is for me.