pandora's box

on borrowed time rings hollow on a rollercoaster ride
she who rises from a state of drawn-out suicide
gradual, perpetual, the slow-burn casual trauma
somehow survived that subliminal epic drama

escaped from desperate recycled anonymity
renewed with energy, goes magnetic in proximity
unleashed with just the right dose of extravagant
perfectly defect - what fuels your bafflement

why sprinkle salt on wounds like gawking from the grandstand
not so funny throwbacks to some quirky wasteland
why make her hum those off-key tunes about a time that wasn't
eerily cheery requiem for disasters measured by the dozen

assurances don't matter if they shatter with impunity
proclaim it's all the same to you then retract quietly
why execute what disputes all she constitutes
inaction betrays the words you speak in absolutes

(2023)

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