I notice it in the flicker of your eyes
how they brighten for others,
how laughter spills and smiles bloom so freely…
when it’s not with me.

With me,
you descend into silence,
a man of withheld words,
your thoughts locked away
like a house with curtains drawn.

I try to find myself in your quiet,
but it feels less like peace,
and more like absence.
A presence endured,
a tolerated shadow beside you.

And I can’t shake the feeling
that I’m only here
because leaving
would mean leaving her too.
That I’m the compromise,
the choice you endure
for the sake of your daughter.

So I move through our days
like a tenant awaiting eviction,
longing for a brightness in your gaze
that belongs only to me.

It hurts to wonder
if I’m desired
or simply a placeholder for the life you really want.
A body you settle beside
while your heart
wanders off without me.

Gradually I am surrounded,
cornered and helpless.
Memories of you chase me down
but it is only myself
hunting myself.

You shine like the sheen of a knife,
slick with the blood of my back.
And still I crave your eyes
my own reflection,
longing for me to turn.

I was afraid, love, but I had to.
I think back to when we were one:
me cradling a raven in my ribcage,
its wings black with hunger,
its beak already tearing.

Without you, I am hollow;
with you, I am full
but only with poison,
bubbling to the brim.
So I turned the switch,
and drowned your voice in silence.

I will not walk into your dagger again.
Your memories rain down
bullets I dodge,
arrows loosed from my own hands.

Do you remember the running,
circles upon circles,
careless, unchained, free?
Now it is only me,
humming an old sad song,
alone with the echo.

Still, the raven stirs.
Its wings scrape bone,
its shadow darkens my lungs.
It waits for me to falter,
to turn,
to bleed again.

But I will not feed it.
Not this time.
The knife will rust,
the raven will starve,
and I will walk out of the circle
alive.

A master of disguise,
No witness makes it out alive.
He has no face.
He comes,

And leaves no trace.

You did not bar the door.
Why would you,
In a street without crime?
But locks mean nothing to him.
They do not keep him out,

They seal him in.

You trusted alarms tuned for flame,
But let the siren built for him lay silent.
He carries no heat, no scent, no sound.

Only the hush that settles before the end.

When everyone under your roof feels ill,
Headache, dizzy, heavy with sleep,
Minds fogging, stomachs turning,

Run.

He seeps from fires smoldering, unseen.
From machines drunk on fuel.
From engines imprisoned in closed rooms.
He slips inside and steals your breath,

As he teaches your blood to love the theft.

Hesitate, and you will not wake.
He does not burn,

He consumes life.

And when his blazing ally arrives,
To destroy all your precious things,
Just know,

He is by her side.

She will distract you.
She will fool you,

Into thinking the intruder has fled.

She will lure you back inside,
To the air that betrays you.

Because they are not here for your things.

No,
They are here,

For you.


She already claimed what you loved

Now he is here

To replace

In moments

The breath you thought was yours

As you surrender to him

Too soon

The life you neglected

Truth doesn't change

just because you choose

not to believe it.

Yeah, I said it.
Your kids are lazy
Not because they’re broken,
But because you broke the cycle.
You gave them a screen,
Not a skill.
You gave them silence,
Not structure.
You gave in
Instead of showing up.
You didn’t wanna deal,
So now they don’t know how.

Yeah, I said it.
We bred a generation of slackers,
Who push buttons but don’t push themselves.
When I was their age,
We had summer jobs,
Cut grass, flipped burgers,
Sweated for a dollar
Because goals meant something.

You placed your child in front of a screen
Because you didn’t want to entertain them.
You didn’t send them outside to play
You coddled them.
When their grades slipped,
Did you help them?
Or just ask around,
Waiting for the school to fix it?
Now the schools are stripped bare,
Defunded and dying.
Back then, we had after-school sports,
We learned how to lose,
How to win,
How to be part of a team.
But these kids?
They show up at my door,
No eye contact, no backbone,
No clue how to speak like they belong in the world.

Now I’m training kids
Who don’t even want the keys.
They don’t wanna be the boss,
They just want the break room.
No grind.
No plan.
Just vibes and complaints
About rent,
About food,
About life
But they don’t want more,
They just want easier.

Yeah, I said it.
They wear pajamas with pride,
And call it style,
But don’t own the ambition
To move beyond survival.
And I get it
The system’s rigged.
Education costs more than it’s worth,
Healthcare’s a maze with no map,
And the ones in charge?
They don’t give a ****.

Yeah, I said it.
We are divided by design.
Because unity doesn’t win elections.
Hate is a headline.
And kindness?
That’s for suckers now.
Being cruel is political currency
And people are cashing in.

So yeah, I said it.
And I’ll say it again.
Because silence is complicity,
And I’d rather be the villain
With a mirror
Than the hero with a blindfold.

But now I’m saying this
It’s not too late.
Turn off the screen.
Talk to your kids.
Hold them accountable.
Teach them how to speak,
How to strive,
How to fail,
And still keep going.
Show them what it means
To earn something,
To dream bigger,
To stand for more than just survival.

Because the truth?
We don’t need more noise.
We need leaders.
We need parents who parent,
Kids who hustle,
Teachers who are paid,
And a country that gives a **** again.

Yeah, I said it.
But don’t just hear me
Do something.