the spiral.

through stained glass mornings and neon nights, I chase a shadow that never stays in sight. once a whisper, now a scream, my reality blurs into a fever dream. steel chains wrapped in cotton---wool, each fix promises, to make me whole. but wholeness fragments day by day, as I watch pieces of myself slip away. mother's tears fall, like autumn rain, while I still dance with chemical refrains. her outstretched hand, I cannot grasp, im too busy with my midnight task. my mirror reflects a strangers face, the time begins to move at a different pace. I find myself caught, trapped between want and need, watching as my soul recedes. yet somewhere in this darkened maze, a spark of hope refuses to fade, perhaps tomorrow I'll find the strength to break this cycles crushing fate. but for now I walk, this tightrope thin, between salvation and giving in, praying dor the dawn to show a path that leads me back to a home I know. -k.