The silence doesn’t just press, it listens It waits for me to say your name When I don’t, it sighs through the vents A cough rattles loose, ribs aching under the weight I walk into the kitchen and forget why Your mug still stained on the shelf I run my thumb across the rim (Gasp) as if it could burn me back to life Empty rooms, they swallow me whole Every echo carving at my bones I can’t breathe, the walls lean in (Cough, gasp) and the silence crawls under my skin The hallway feels longer than it should Each step stops when I stop too My pulse trips louder than the world A hand to my chest, it still isn’t mine The switch keeps clicking like a ritual Click, click, click — proof I exist A laugh escapes, too thin, it breaks Like glass under pressure, sharp in the dark Empty rooms, they swallow me whole Every echo carving at my bones I can’t breathe, the walls lean in (Laugh turning wet, cough) silence beneath my skin I sit on the floor, whispering secrets But the air won’t carry them anywhere The words fall heavy in my lap (Exhale, long sigh) nothing left but dead weight The mattress remembers us both I curl into the hollow where you used to be The emptiness presses like a second body (Choke, cough, laugh half-sob) And I can’t push it away Empty rooms, they swallow me whole Every echo carving at my bones I can’t breathe, the walls lean in (Gasp, gasp, whisper) silence beneath my skin I close my eyes but the dark has teeth Your voice flickers — (gasp) — and disappears The night dares me to stop But I don’t I can’t
