• On the other side of my mind I see him.
    Slouched over, breathing heavy,
    Ticking my walls with bleached nails, hard as rock.
    “Tick tock, don’t stop,” he says;
    “Tick tock,” I chant.
    I clock out.

    Need to crank up.
    Before I inhale the moon rocks
    I expel a breath and see a name
    Spelled out in the sand
    His name, not mine

    He works his way through my system
    An euphoria taking over
    Enticing me to walk along a tightrope drawn tight above limbo
    And I take the bait
    He takes over and my wildest dreams come true
    This monster’s sweet growls send me to Neverland
    Never to return again
    I can do anything
    He can do anything
    Walking hand and hand.

    He scares me
    “Erase the fear,” he says;
    “Erase the fear,” I chant.
    I submit to him.

    Glass to crystal
    I tick the cup, a hatch mark
    “Faster, go faster,” they cry;
    “Faster, go faster,” he whispers in my ear.
    Speedily I sniff.

    Like a pig I greedily hunt down the ice.
    It cools my body with its cold exterior, his indifferent glances.
    Ignite a flame
    White-hot in my chest and the thumping begins
    I can’t stop

    Thump, thump
    My breathing can’t keep up
    Thump, thump
    Recovering from my high jump
    Tick tock
    Is this me?

    No it’s him
    I can’t keep up.

    With red-lined nostrils
    I slow down the clock
    My eyes dare not look at his hand ticking tocking the clock.
    There he goes.
    Color turns to bright, White, blinding light
    “Tick tock, don’t stop,” he says;
    “Tick tock,” I chant.
    Tick tock my life
    Shatters like glass.