Poem

I had a terrible day at school today.

pressure like hands on my shoulders,

pulling me down from both sides.

I slipped out early,

the back door unguarded,

the world outside cold,

but quieter.

No one answered when I called home.

The dial tone echoed longer than it should.

So I walked to your house

your windows still,

your silence like something

waiting to break.

I knocked.

Once.

Twice.

I knew you hadn’t left.

The spare key was cold in my palm,

familiar like guilt.

Your room

I opened the door,

and there you were,

hanging in the stillness.

Your throat,

your forehead,

your silence

louder than anything I’d ever heard.

I stepped back,

let the moment breathe.

Then I stepped forward,

picked up the blade you’d dropped,

pressed it to my skin

like a memory,

and joined you

in the silence.