you surround yourself with
broken glass
and a wall
20 stories high
you say you'd rather
be alone
but we both know that,
not a day goes by
in which the lonely hour is every hour
and the worst happens midday
while your shadow-esque companion
taunts you with a benign game piece
the silence used to be welcoming
but now
the silence is simply
bittersweet
-n.c