Hiding

You have forced me into hiding.
The dress that your brought me last Christmas
(the white silk one with gold sequin song birds
sitting along the rim) is grasped within my hands
and thrown above my head. Useless, an unrequited
veil, capsulising my defeat.

I claw at my neck, irritated by my sudden fragility.
How could you do this to me? The battle lines are
drawn, mascara lines running down my cheeks.
Dividing myself from the person I once knew.
I scrub at my face, deliberately trying to remove
your trace, but its useless.

I flee from myself, like I'm aiming to confuse my
shadow and eventually lose her, although I know I can't.
I retreat into my own habitat, its tunnels and caves
made of flesh and bones. Crouching between these
rocks, I've tried so hard to lose you,
I've lost myself instead.