you see,
we're all young until
our brains tell us we aren't
and our bones crumble
under our safety blankets
and every pleasure in life becomes
another ******* prize in the arcade game
our eyes have been glued to
for god knows how long.
all the windows have been blacked out
and the clocks stripped
of their hands.
it's all fun and games until
they tell you you've been wasting your life.
but what do they know.
they've just been playing whac-a-mole
with rifles clenched in their fists.
your chest still rises with
every breath
and maybe we're all just young
because our hearts haven't given into
the anxiety consuming every last bit
of our sanity.
don't open your mouth,
don't let them see
your veins turning to black
behind your eyes.
i'll see you on the other side.