Bit by bit, your past
will try to distract you from the present,
so it can steal your future.

This is how we become ghosts
in our own lives.

hearts beat, faster, faster
thighs bracketed around his waist
kisses clipped short because you just can't breathe enough air
he's holding you with his arms
But you're holding him with everything you are

I’m not a pessimist.

But I hear the drumbeat of inadequacy
Keeping time to the echoed songs of a forgotten world.

I’m not a pessimist.

But I feel the bass of a billion irregular heartbeats
Ticking to to the sound of a broken clock.

I’m not a pessimist.

But I see the angry smashing of waves on skin
Crashing with the clicks of a slowing metronome.

I’m not a pessimist.

But I smell the metallic scent of a broken machine
Grinding to a halt while the societal dance speeds up its pace.

I’m not a pessimist.

But I taste the bitterness of infinite gray nowheres
Drifting endlessly while the band plays on.