final pine
When I lie through my teeth,
my stomach twists with guilt.
Even when someone believes in me,
I feel sick—
because I never meant to hurt them.
I tried to tell the truth,
but the words got lost,
swallowed
by fear
and habit.
Now I’m stuck—
in a box made of all the things
I wish I never did,
haunted
by echoes of the past
that won't let me go.
new poem
slender bear
marble wave