III.

The explanation always feels late
Apologizing, allowed to remember

Out of breath
“The scariest part wasn’t forgetting.

After that, the past stops behaving

People flatten into tones of voice
Events collapse into phrases

Days reorganize themselves around procedure
I don’t think it’s lying

It’s just survival
A safer cut

A motion that lets me realize
Something else had decided what I was

Through a softer gaze
There’s a place where something used to be

Now weightless without center