Anthony Hanible

Nine Days Awake And Counting

The hours stack like brittle glass

Each one trembling

Under its own weight

The world flickers

At the edges

A film reel slipping

Off its track

Shadows move first

Then light

Then whatever I am

In between

My thoughts wander

Without asking permission

Drifting through old rooms

I swore I’d locked

Touching memories

I meant to bury

Under cleaner snow

The mirror doesn’t argue anymore

It just watches

Patient

As if waiting for me

To remember

Which version of myself

I left behind

On day three

Or five

Or seven

Still

I keep going

A quiet pulse

In a body made of static

Counting the days

Like beads on a rosary

Hoping that somewhere

Between now

And whatever comes next

Sleep will find me

And call me

By my real name