you are allowed to be afraid
of what remains when the fire goes out
of the stillness where the lash used to fall
of a silence that doesn’t demand a sacrifice
the script is so heavy
because you have memorized every line
you know how to play the captive
how to turn the iron into a home
how to mistake the familiar cage for safety
this is not a scene you have to finish
this is not a stanza that requires more blood to balance the ink
the page ends whenever you stop writing the pain into existence
the sky does not seek your sorrow to prove you are grounded
the earth will hold your weight without a toll
you don’t have to keep building the fire
just to prove you can survive the bur
unclasp the armor
it was only ever made of paper anyway
—lyra moon (this is just the glass reflecting the fire, break the mirror)
august 9, 2026