I fight off an atlas ache
I breathe in, it offers a twinge
I roll my shoulders

"what are you gonna say?"

my ribcage stiffens against the skin where it resides
my throat feels like I've never drank

"I dunno."

storm clouds somewhere surely hang
I'm sure they do, it's still so wet outside
petrichor lingers dense and sweet, clinging to the greenery

"this is important. you have to stand up to her."

not impatient, but not eager to waste any time
I'm not eager to waste hers
but mine matters less simply because it is mine

"man, I know."

but she asks for something I'm not sure I can give
if I was to give anything, it'd be my femur bones
here, take these, I don't use them anyhow
maybe you can use them to bat around your enemies

"it's important for you."

something swift and slick and discreet
slides past my lips

"ehhh."

a comedic groan, but still

its not just me, its the legacy.