ohheyian

I can slide the tight shell off
become loosely collected form
flashes of light in a mirror
refractions through morning fog
and stay in that form for seconds
even minutes on rare occasions
before squeezing back into a skull
spirit in a liminal space
body in another space
that I have called home for only a year
there’s always something scratching my surface
beard grown to long, hair untrimmed
no, no… it’s not that
skin too tight, too dry after the shower
but something else
my sore neck
or the scab on the back of my head
that knee that keeps wheezing
none of them are it exactly
they’re close enough though
to be confused with what comes up from deeper
pokes sharply at the surface
and I say “must be that acid reflux”
but my stomach knows I’m lying