half-frozen from
not ever having been loved
enough, soothing oiled
condolences over cracks deep in
my skin from things that never
happened years ago i
am chained to insecurity like a leashed wolf,
putting up storefronts every day for the patina
of seeing the thing through, the morsel
of salt and stardust i
pinch myself with
on the days i can get up
and look in the mirror.