Negative Space

Dancing for an hour, alone in my bedroom.
Sweat poured from my body—
This was a new, exhilarating energy.
I tried to stop, but could not.

The floor beneath me vibrated.
My head grew light, and a smile of pure joy overwhelmed me.

I knew in an instant I had been shoulder-tapped.
This was not a nudge; it was a full-on body bump, disco style.

Songs flowed from me, loud and proud,
carrying echoes throughout the house.
A light within me had turned on, full ignition,
and there was no turning it off.

 I learned later that not everyone was ready to
understand the experience I so longed to share.

And then, the walk by.
A stranger’s hand brushed against my arm—
a sudden, electric spark that shocked my body.
I pulled back quickly, but the transfer was complete.
Like a scene out of The Fallen,
a negative energy shifted between us, heavy and uninvited.

 Ever since that moment, my light continued to dim.
Now, it demands my attention with a strange, constant burping—
the body trying to exhale what doesn't belong to it.
And the moment I finally stop to listen,
the sadness overcomes me.

 Seven years later, here I stand: exhausted, older.
I carry the energy of another,
and shaking it off has not been easy.