rain goes “splat”
crickets chirp
cicadas buzz

candle on the head flickers

all snug in
can’t fall asleep
not tired
not tired

thinking about tomorrow
as if it were the past

playing today over and over again

who locked my mind away
who holds the key

who set up those barriers
before me

why must i now struggle
against myself

when all i wanted to do
was live

why must i fight
a thousand battles
just to gain an inch
of ground?

who shut the door
and why?

and as the rain falls
my tears collect

but drop they do not
as the sky weeps for me

it gets dark so early
we’re losing light so fast
it’s this time that’s
always been most dangerous

it is now and no time before that
my test comes in full

but i will pass it.