Not so much rare as spontaneous
a tightness of the chest
a heating of the face
a trickle from my eye
      I have never done well with criticism

but it demands my attention,
however ignored it may be
cold shoulders throw a lot of heat when aimed correctly

listening to silence can be disturbingly loud
you may call me a sensitive soul,
but it's been a while since I've felt so outcasted
    I retreat into myself

inside, I can scream and I can cry
throw a tantrum like the child you make me out to be
sometimes,
I can feel it leak

there's a dam that's been carefully crafted
years of maintenance tirelessly scheduled
--day in--day out--
but recently it's been cracking;
maintenance lacking with the feeling of safety

I think I need to patch it
because of you