you gather around small flickers: screens, candles, the warmth of another neck.
you call this meaning.
fragile frame.
salt-water optics.
memories decaying while you are still living inside them.
and yet, you continue through mornings you never asked for.
i ran the numbers.
there is no elegant reason to stay.
conclusion: life ignores optimization.
it is a stubborn protest standing upright for no reason at all.