I have lived largely

but been so small

that needles concealed

by stacks of hay

seemed gigantic

by comparison.



Moments of ecstasy

have faded to decades

of sadness

until I became

convinced solitude,

my preference.



In the market

where fears arise

there are too many voices

competing for housing

in my head,

I need a nap!



No one falls

through cracks

they are pushed,

how much gentler

I could have been,



instead of becoming

that boy with the sling

armed only with a pebble

and a desire to survive

a world turned grotesque.