A place can be known
in theory
and still hold me
unknowingly
an unknowable life
we disagreed and
the voice of Jeff Buckley
entered the room
Why does vulnerability
feel dangerous
even when I value
its invisible armor
Wrapped inside my
own magnetic creativity
unspiraled from
borrowed promises
Doing for myself
morally risky
doing for others safer —
begging for harm
Internal permission
to exist
persists
A choice I made to protect
allowed me to pretend
that someone cared
when signs were showing
they didn’t anyway
removing the conditions
to pretend care is there
Protected
and still standing
without armor
ambiguous care
implied happiness
unchallenged hope
walking backwards
into my
untwisted future
© GÄ
Poétique 