Shut-Inside
When I was younger -
I used to reach out my hands -
to try and grab the stars -
but they fell through my fingertips,
as fractures split my skin,
unveiling sadness and scars.
As millions check into 9–5s -
and politicians plot and scheme,
my world has shrunk to four walls, haunted,
by shadows of discarded dreams.
I smother my shame, I try to retreat,
through the glow of my computer screen,
but reality claws its way back in -
and reminds me of where I’ve been.
Hikikomori, hiding away,
under my sheets for half the day -
memories blur as I decay -
nobody will remember my name.