I didn’t ask to end up here
doors that lock with a heavy sound,
gray halls with Wellstone printed on the forms,
windows that promise a world I can’t touch.
I count the tiles on the ceiling,
trace cracks in the floor,
wonder how many girls were before me
stared at these same walls,
wishing they were somewhere else.
Every voice is a stranger’s,
Every question is too close
I give answers that aren’t really answers,
fold my arms, hold their phone
just long enough for a supervised call home.
The food tastes like waiting,
The clocks move slower here,
And my thoughts get heavier
the longer I’m alone.
I replay every fight,
every ride in the car,
try to trace a way home
from this strange, borrowed bed
under Wellstone’s watchful lights.
I didn’t ask to be here
not for comfort,
not for help,
not for group talks in a circle
or whispered words at night.
But each evening, when the world outside
slips farther from my hands,
I close my eyes and count the days,
promise myself I’ll leave
with all of me intact.
1d ago
Jun 3, 2026 at 10:10 PM UTC
I didn’t ask to end up here
doors that lock with a heavy sound,
gray halls with Wellstone printed on the forms,
windows that promise a world I can’t touch.
I count the tiles on the ceiling,
trace cracks in the floor,
wonder how many girls were before me
stared at these same walls,
wishing they were somewhere else.
Every voice is a stranger’s,
Every question is too close
I give answers that aren’t really answers,
fold my arms, hold their phone
just long enough for a supervised call home.
The food tastes like waiting,
The clocks move slower here,
And my thoughts get heavier
the longer I’m alone.
I replay every fight,
every ride in the car,
try to trace a way home
from this strange, borrowed bed
under Wellstone’s watchful lights.
I didn’t ask to be here
not for comfort,
not for help,
not for group talks in a circle
or whispered words at night.
But each evening, when the world outside
slips farther from my hands,
I close my eyes and count the days,
promise myself I’ll leave
with all of me intact.
I wrote this about my stay at Wellstone not long ago. I have very controversial opinions about that place, and my stay didn't change them.
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