You’re like a dense fog on a cool summer’s night. The moon is out, so there’s a little light, but it casts moving shadows in every sight. There’s a soft mist in the air just to add some texture and flair. I’m walking barefoot in the grass that’s still wet from the evening dew. It’s peaceful, but very quiet, not scary, just a moody vibe of you. All I can hear is the swishing of the grass blades as I walk in the darkness of the moon. Suddenly, the silence shifts as a glimmer of gold-plated steel catches my eye as I feel the push-pull of the wind swirling behind my back, encompassing me, strong-arming with a heavy gentleness, baiting me to come closer to my doom.

I pause, breathe in the coolness into my lungs, before I step inside the heated cage set for me. I know he’s watching me, like I’m his favorite sport. But he also knows, I’m that species he’s been waiting for, so patience is key. He let’s me move freely while guiding me closer to him but not close enough to touch. I have to rattle and clank on the bars for him to notice me again. And while I’m fighting within myself, I can’t see or hear all the other cages that are around, all the other collections you manage from your perch, making each one of us feel like we’re more special, when we are all part of a collection of souls you hunted and found. I hate being so smart yet so stupidly hypnotized. I’m my own trap and bait. You get to watch and laugh while I fight against your fate.

So when you do come and visit, it’s startling because I’ve been left alone. So I’m pacing & purring for your affection because I’ve gone so long without being touched or seen from the inside. You provide an atmosphere, the internal landscape that feels like home to me, a heavy silence of loud emotions without a word being said, presence through absence. Do I stay for you, or here because I miss the sanctuary of my isolated home. It’s the only place my shadow feels held and wrapped in tension and suspension, a space for my very own. I need a new strategy, but I can’t outthink my feelings. Being in a cage with the door open is wild, but I know I have to find the master key that will release me from your phantom grip, i just have to decide if that’s what I really want to do. I’ve grown quite accustomed to the void of you.