act two

panic rising like bile
and failure burning my
face like coals on a
fireplace, i stared at
the wall and wished
i was not here.

fear chained me to the
table; it wound me tight
like clockwork and i
was trapped. (“hey,
ellis, what’s up?”)

until i heard you; head
turning, chains groaning,
face snapping to a smile.
eyes wild like the moon,
half-forgotten like stars
and you were there.

you asked, i answered,
i turned and you ran –
laughing sweetly like
honey trees, calling my
name over&over. (what
is going on?)

strange and alienated
almost like love, so i
chased you and we—
laughed like lovers
and joked like friends.

(even though i still didn’t
know you. but something
inside me said i wanted to.)

author's notes :: i told him i was allowed to be depressed. he dropped his trousers and i chased him through maths.