it's barely summer
but i've forgotten
how to breathe;
i fall in love
with strangers
before they even speak.

entangled within
the pulsating crowd
like a fly trapped in a spider's web;
questions are spun
all around.
inferiority screams in my ear
& consumes all thoughts
until i can't hear
all the questions that are caught
between threads of my insecurities,
weaving around
& around
the fabric of my being -
tightening its grip
with everyone seeing
me choking.

it's barely summer
but i can feel
winter's chill:
each pump of my left ventricle,
an exertion against will,
leaves me *******
& frozen, still -
but feeling like i could run
before you could catch me.
i watch the moon
trade places with the sun,
racing against time,
but my day
has still not yet begun.