we speak at times
to no one 
and at others 
to ourselves

words that cover 
what’s between us
and the absence 
never there 

even if they seem
like what they are 
or if they are 
what they do not 

*

tiles frame
a surprise
as well as 
fluorescent lights

from a mechanical 
bed 
that manacles 
the mind

*

a rhyme hides inside
the folded curtains
of the ward
velcro loops holding them 
blind

*

the silence of 
paint then 
on a wall 
competes 
with portraits’ 
colors, which seem 
more vibrant 
than life 
inside this noise

*

we binge 
on seconds 
we consider
already gone
to feel 
a little better
about the pain
of letting go


- Nicholas Michael Ravnikar