Shadow Walk

I tasted the future when someone said,
“Tell her she must play by the rules.”
I spat out bitterness, turned around—
and watched sweet expectations
seal door after door.

The trap was humming hope. I saw blinding noise.
Each day, I battled rising expectations,
a life of running from pillar to post,
never sure if ogres lurked in the office
or wore familiar faces at home.

I masked wounds with silks and smiles,
each scar etched by sarcasm,
patriarchal soundtracks in the dark.
Then— I woke and walked.

Somnambulism shrugged.
Determination, rugged,
rose like smoke from an imperceptible grave—
hidden, dark, and deep.

In every reflection, I saw me—only me—
fragmented, refracted, braving fears,
setting expectations, leading words astray
Yet optimism steadied me as I faced the facts.

Something evolved. Something changed
when my shadow walked beside me
across thought and feeling landscapes
I accepted myself.
Ghosted the rest.
walked alone
through expressways and graveyards
led by the sky, moon and sun.

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Meeting the Bar: Lens of Synesthesia