somewhere deep
within the labyrinth
where the glasspeople
had found themselves
lost in between
the there and the here
i sat a while
on a molded vinyl chair
and listened to their murmurings
i could not speak
i had lost my voice
although the words swelled up
puffed up
pressed against my chest
i had so many things to say
i had so many thoughts to think
i had so many hearts to touch
but they would not be touched
not them
they kept their distance from me
the glasspeople
did not want me to reach them
it was just as well
my thoughts were such a tsunami
chaotic and cacophonous
imbibed in overstimulation
that even
if i could have spoken
what sense would i have made
what reason would i have given
what minds would i have changed
so i sat quietly
i let them be as they would be
and watched the intricacies
of their movements
i was motionless
i was silent
i folded myself into the edges
between the then and the now
i chose my breaths
to avoid detection
i chose my thoughts
to minimize distraction
i chose my movement
to mirror theirs
and somewhere
in all my exertions
i realized i’d become
a glassperson
too
04.15.23