Different Gravity

I have known so little

Of the sadness of the world,

And it is all in me.

What a weird lonely planet my head is,

Which holds sorrow by the ton.

Every desperate act of courage,

Every sad confrontation with inevitability,

Every connection severed,

Every bit of misery,

Every unethical blow,

Every face of cruelty

Finds its way to my head

After tearing through my heart,

Until the overflow streams down my face

Long enough to make room

For what lies ahead.

So little has been taken from me,

So little has been demanded of me,

And still I have taken the toll.

My chest is no armor,

It is full of the things

That make moments memories,

Of the space that fills sighs,

Of that which makes eloquence

Realize its inadequacy.

Haunted by the unfiltered rawness of eyes all around,

Their wordless speeches resonating in my mind,

Bouncing forever in my brain like a trapped animal,

Like an endless loop of scary thoughts.

Heavy to the point I don't seem to be

Subjected to the same laws as everybody:

Same planet, and yet different gravity.

So go ahead

Close your eyes and dream,

Half open them and just be,

Open wide if you are not afraid,

For the moment you wipe them,

You have become me.