Harsh reality raids my skin
Filling my lungs with distress
With each step I heave
Louder and louder
Until I succumb to grief

Acquaintances
Dispense their jagged words
To skewer the surface
And sow their urges

What ought to be
Erodes my flesh
Overtaking the contours
I’ve grown to accept

I heave from below
With contorted limbs
Battered by missteps
And boyish decisions

What should transpire
Binds my frame
As my conscience is slathered
With the hues I must adore