Nicole Johnson

Awakened to the night sky.

Sweat trickles, slipping into my eyes.

The burn from these salt lake fears is the only thing that reminds me that I’m still breathing.

As I lean over, I’m quickly reminded of my solitude and the musk residue on a pillow that is you.

Quickly I go through the motions of feeling safe, and yet I can’t help but be reminded of the spider that waits for me to shower.

That feeling of serenity never seems to appear.

That sense of longing has come and gone.

I’ve become accustomed to a life of solitude that I no longer know how to be around you.

Feelings buried in a box under the maple tree.

Each day that you’re away, the harder it is to see.

Hallucinations of the past become a reality as confusion etched lines within my face from the disconnection between reality and fantasy.

As my face presses against the pillow, I close my eyes and make a wish and you appear.