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clean and cut open

sober now,
and every second screams louder than the last.
the silence i begged for
now drips like acid through my spine.

when i was high, 
the world floated —
hazy, dull-edged, 
a soft lie i could breathe in.
without choking on memory.
without shaking from truth.

but now i wake up
to light too sharp for eyes that have seen too much,
and sleep with shadows that whisper
every name i try to forget.

they say this is healing.
they say pain is proof i'm alive.
but if this is life — 
raw, bleeding,
a wound i carry like a badge —
then maybe i liked dying better.

i miss the numbness.
i miss the nothing.
it was kinder
than this endless parade
of remembering 
everything
i ever did
just to feel okay.

Copyright © Madison Power

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things