on the other side of the
world with only a
door between us
i think of leaving
abandoning you
to face a world whose
fierce embrace is not
as loving as my own

i contemplate the
reality of life
without you
existing in a
dull void

the fragile relief of
freedom shattered
by the fear of
solitary confinement

in a small black
room with no ceiling and
windows painted shut
thin walls vibrating
with the hum of silence
boards nailed across a door
that has never been opened

unable to move as the walls
begin to close in
attempting to confine my body
in a space much smaller
than it was ever meant to occupy

ghastly apparitions seen from corners
of dripping eyes
unexplained terror
numbing my senses as the walls
continue to creep closer
threatening an embrace
i will not survive

this black room?
... my mind

once content with
thoughts of you
now locked in fear
in agony of
departure

the distance between us
so great it cannot
be bridged

though all i have
to do is
open the door