Idiopathic Empathetic

Author: A.K. Nesbitt

Idiopathic, empathetic—

Hyperventilating, still poetic.

Scratching,

Stripping,

Clawing walls;

Muted texts, unanswered calls.

Echoes in a crowded room

“I am trying,” never soon.

Slamming gates, rehearsed attacks;

Weaponized affection, booby traps.

Panting,

Growling,

Then collapse

A cycle scripted to entrap.

Flare,

Reject,

Relapse

Your legacy, your twisted map;

A heritage of fractured names,

Inheritance of quiet blame.

Going numb

Or playing dumb,

Licking wounds they can’t explain

Feeding on

Their guilt and shame.

A. K. Nesbitt is a poet residing in Asheville, NC. She has a bachelor's degree in Literature from UNCA. This is her first work published in a literary magazine and she will have more pieces to share soon. She hopes to have an entire book of poems published.