I sensed the shame
poisoning my blood,
flowing through my veins—
a silent flood.

I discarded myself
to sit within the hallowed halls
of the great successes,
wearing masks to match their walls.

I stood tall,
concealing crumbling confidence.

My unhealed inner child
shrieks for validation—
silent screams
for eyes that never turn my way.

My extraordinary foe,
how your anger bleeds
into my life,
ambushing me when I’m frayed and low.

So much time
spent fleeing your grasp.

If winning is the only path
to joy in this rotten place,
then soon I’ll fall
into your fiery embrace.

Attention is what I crave—
but with you, I must remain.

Oh, failure,
bane of my existence—
I suppose this is hello again.