it cannot be fear
the art of running from it
when your heart constricts,
turn from it.
think of something else
and run away.
we're not allowed
to feel that here,
inside cubicle walls
.
when you break out in a sweat,
wash your face.
dry your skin.
baptize yourself
in a cheap vanilla cloud.
just body spray from rite aid.
and pretend
...
if no one in the office noticed,
it didn't happen.
(right?)
...
when your stomach hollows out,
and memory silences your thoughts,
and you miss a few words
from the person in your ear...
"I'm so sorry, our connection
got a little staticy.
Could you repeat that?"
...
never reveal the truth
if it betrays your weakness
...
when you walk out of the building,
punch the digits representing your existence,
into the timeclock.
ignore the emptiness
clawing out of your back.
walk a little faster
so it can't tear you apart
...
you're just tired
(right?)
...
the sky went dark
you never saw the sun today
if you don't call the beast
inside your mind
by its name
it can't take you down
(right?)
About the Creator
Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA
Writer, bookworm, sci-fi space cadet, and coffee+tea fanatic living in Brooklyn. I have an MS in Integrated Design & Media and an MFA in Fiction from NYU. I share poetry on Instagram as @SleeplessAuthoress.
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