I’ve
built
a cage
around
my
heart.

Not
to keep
you out,

but
to keep
you in.

Might I fathom
the spaces between the seconds.

Might I plot
each mark on the map.

Might I track
the footsteps that I've left behind.

Might I absolve
the mind ensnared in a trap.

Chronicle these breaths.
And lay them naked
on paper - for the world
to see and judge,
like you know you should.

Dissect them...
With the sharpness
of your scalpel-like thoughts,
like you always would.

Fall in love with them.
Tag them with unspoken words
all too familiar.
Then cast them unto me...
When you finally know you could.