drifting in and out of wakefulness
feeling everything and nothing all at once
that lump in my throat
but i can’t cry

i shut my eyes and press against them my palms.
i see swivels and vanishing spirals,
i see everything and nothing all at once
and i’m begging for it not to stop.

i scream into a pillow leaving traces of saliva
i still can’t cry, i still just can’t cry.

my head hurts like a hundred fingers flicking at it
it tingles like ants crawling underneath.
it feels sunken like the titanic with all its people
and i’m jack in the freezing water.

my eyes heave and try fluttering shut
i say no, not now.

it’s strange how my brain is a different entity,
almost like a guest that is always “going to leave”
but ends up staying the whole time.

maybe if i slit my forehead open
the ants under my skin will stop
maybe my head will finally feel light
even though my hair has been gone for days.

dear disheveled mind,
*******.