The Quiet War

Why most people are so quiet

They ask me, “Why so quiet?”
I shrug.
How to explain?
This skull’s a cage of thunder

Every word you said?
Replayed.
That glance you gave?
Decoded.
The door that creaked?
A warning.

I spin futures that won’t exist
Catastrophes drafted in perfect cursive.
Smile. Nod. Meanwhile…
my mind’s a broken record
Skipping on what if
what if
what if...

Think.
Overthink.
Unthink.
Repeat.

Peace? I’ve forgotten the taste.
Rest? A rumor.
Breath? Shallow.
I’m not shy
I’m surviving the static
of a thousand channels
blaring at once.

So no
I’m not giving you silence.
I’m handing you the aftermath
Of a war waged in a theater
No one else bought tickets for.