dead.
originally written 04.10.03

fooling yourself into believing you're alive
can be the greatest ephemeral event
in your minimal existance.
everything comes crashing down
when you look into the mirror
and find your skin peeling away
from the rest of your body
that has no blood left to bleed.
flesh that you thought conveyed bronze tones
suddenly became deathly anemic,
that hair-covered scalp of yours
has been withered away while whatever is left
is thin and grey.

now that the mask has disappeared,
you ask yourself who were you all this time?
you thought you were really somebody--
but you can't be someone when you're not alive.

go on and pretend you don't care
that you're rotting and becoming more brittle
as every moment goes by.
you don't care because no one else cares.