A moment of rest

She looked at me

as if her heart wasn’t shattered

on the floor in this nursing home

 

I never imagined my life

to turn out like this

She said

 

Childhood trauma

she never acknowledged

Unfamiliar pains

she never felt

 

Signs were there

when we laughed at her

- the toilet paper incident

 

Her mother’s screams

in front of her friends

as if another ordinary day

nurturing and care

 

Two teacups on the shelf

 

Rubbish bins in the bathroom

 

Filtered sunrays through the curtain

 

Condensed writings on the wall

 

Neighbor’s yelling across the corridor

 

Zombie-like man walking about

 

This time it’s not me

It’s outside of my control

She said

 

The scar on her neck

a physical reminder

of a psychological cancer

 

Crackling noises on the phone

and druggie connections

like the colour in black

if only they were real

 

Remembrances of youth

deep conversations of life

and dreams under the stars

 

Minute scribbles of class notes

on the outer edges of paper

A train of ambition and drive

 

Wrecked on the floor

in this tiny room with

soft shadows

 

A quiet moment of rest