she likes the color yellow

my sheets

walking with a start,
i clutched the sheets
for comfort.

like snakes
the fabric coiled
around me.

i couldn't move
from fear.

these sheets i lay in,
you laid here too.

i called your name
into them.

your bare back
touched them.

we whispered
sweet nothings
into the pillows.

you poured
your spirit
into me here.

i have slept
on them for months.

they haunt me.
they taunt me.

it's 3 am.

i yank them off.
with blades,
I cut into the silk,
strips and piles form.

I stuff it all away
—even the pillow cases.

i toss it all out
the window.

my sheets,
with your name
embroidered into
the woven strings,
cannot suffocate me
anymore.

i lay here now
without bedding.

i don't need
our lies to comfort me.

so, i sleep bare.
courage is all i need.