When the House Is a Human

i have packed myself up and moved into entire people

before the walkthrough

only to find haunted rooms thick with the residue of unwashed wounds

stinking up parts of the personality they had the most trouble accepting

demons grown as big as the number of years they let pass before they paid their pain any attention

about as stuffed with trauma as the bags i keep moving without unpacking

i have made them heavier too

making beds of bones was a honed skill

overstayed just by assuming i knew enough

i knew nothing

quick move-ins turned to evictions

no notice

emotions secretive as ghost winds howling

we share meals without sharing ourselves

why did breaking bread never turn to breaking the silence?

i don't want to lease another home

learning to learn first is a motion i have to practice to commit to memory

every soul is not a welcome mat

some are just bells on swinging doors reminding you to be alert something has entered and needs your attention

not every presence is meant for u n w r a p p i n g

have you ever packed up and moved out of a person?

the first realization is that you not only lived in them

but you lived for them

and you now have to learn how to live for

yourself.