I am afraid of life

my body trembles as I stir
the cauldron of anticipation

a fractured thought is all
I can muster, a thousand
paths to imitate

a breath and a word

consciousness on a
thin layer of glass, so
fragile, ethos of an era.

failure of flesh and
mineral, once arable
now devoid of warmth

scraggy warbles
trembling into
the
darkness

I realize

I have pulled the
mask too tight

hiding and riding
within the rent casing,
obfuscating

dodging death
and life

a shadow of fear
existing nowhere.