I have awakened to find the world multitudes darker

where pain is a universal truth
and truth is a sweeping absence
injustice has carved itself onto the backs of many
half healed
bleeding blame into the palms of the few

and so we wipe
with ***** hands and salted cloths
on an empty stomach, even emptier hearts
wipe away at wounds in places we cannot touch
looking for answers in blurred lines and false maps