Hollow Inside

I wake to the same ceiling
the same cracks that learned my name
they watch me breathe
like I’m a secret that overstayed its welcome

the mirror is cruel in its honesty
it shows a face that looks like mine
but the eyes
they flicker like a dying bulb
refusing to admit the end

I talk to shadows now
they answer softer than people do
they don’t ask why I’m quiet
they already know

my heart beats like it’s trapped
between here and somewhere quieter
somewhere the noise can’t reach
somewhere even I can’t

and if I fade
I hope it’s slow
like ink sinking through paper
a quiet unmaking
that no one notices until it’s gone