I taste harsh words on my tongue,
saltier than tears,
sweeter than loneliness.
Swallow them whole so they cannot creep past my lips but they feed the demons in my mind that say “leave before you are left”.
For a moment I imagine
I am a hurricane moving quickly so you don’t catch the eye.
Swirling, fighting.
So much energy spent  to try to

Be Still.

Your silent self-preservation angers me yet still you anchor me,
Bobbing out in the deep, alone, save for the waves.
I’m scared of, and at one with
the storm.