it's less about staring at the walls
and more about them staring back
leaving you speechless even
when you didn't have words to share

it's looking at an application page
the way you look at one of her pictures
unsure how you should go about this
and how disappointed you'll allow yourself to be

it's waking up on the wrong side of your twenties
admitting there's nothing to discuss
still stuck in this limbo
you swore you'd never visit in the first place

it's volunteering your insecurity
to navigate conversations
and dictate decisions
made inside days
irrelevant to dates or names of the week
and unprepared to call any of it a moment

it's spending days in shopping malls
and bookstores
turning your back on time
like a bad dream
or a bad idea
you can't help but run with

it's finding a rear view mirror
in an unexpected place
seeing yourself before some background
a single reflection with no intent
to leave a lasting impression