Shadows

Become

So much

Darker

When they

Overlay

Each other

My nose was so close
To the dust.
I could smell the stagnant
Hopes entwined
In the strands of the carpet.
I was worn, lying there,
Thinking someone
Could open the door and just
Walk over me
To fetch a pair of shoes.
But the light sighing under
The door was gentle
And considerate as it lit up
The life in the air.

My fingers began to ache
As they waved—
As if the bones dislocated
From the enthusiasm.

My smile suddenly felt
Small and inconsequential,
Forced as it stretched
My dry skin.

I was swaying back & forth,
Drained by all of this
Social interaction.

I felt it catch the bus this morning.
It checked through the crossword,
Humming to itself.

I could feel its low heels clack, clack
On the sidewalk, turning down the
Smooth driveway.

It didn’t ring the bell—no, it only twisted
A key it had found long ago, and stepped
Inside, sighing.

The house was too bright with too many
Warm lamps and sun-lit windows. It
Pulled the blinds.

They unrolled sharply, wincing at the
Creeping darkness. But, ‘much better,’
It thought.

How long would it stay this time?
With bony hands, it scrawled
‘Indefinitely.’