Hollow Frame

A boy walks slow through halls of glass, His shadow flickers, thin as grass. Each step a secret, each breath a theft, Of hunger’s war and weightless heft. They whisper when they think he’s gone, “Is he okay? He looks withdrawn.” But laughter fades when backs are turned, And eyes like his are never learned. His plate remains a battlefield— Each bite a blade, each meal unsealed. He counts the crumbs like ticking clocks, His ribs a cage, his soul in locks. Inside, a storm no one can see, A gut that groans in mutiny. IBS, a cruel refrain, Twisting joy into quiet pain. His friends? Just echoes in disguise, With hollow jokes and plastic eyes. They smile sharp, then look away— He’s present, but he’s not okay. They call him “buddy,” slap his back, Then laugh the moment that he cracks. Lonely, yet he's never alone, A ghost among his flesh and bone. He’s drained—of hope, of strength, of care, A paper boy in poisoned air. Yet no one sees what’s underneath, The brittle scream behind his teeth. And so he walks, a whispered name, Fading into his hollow frame. Each day a mask, each night a sea, Of pain no soul will ever see.