leap of faith

i woke up dead this morning
bones intact
heart beating
eyes open
lungs screaming
bare hands
clutching the fabric of skin
nails digging into thighs

i assembled myself
next to the eye mask on the table
a lopsided smile
pinned to the fridge
casual indifference at the ready
on the clothes rack
the muse of comedy
masquerading as my favourite bottled musk
a familiar stench of despair

tending to my wounds
i hummed out loud
a song stuck in my head
a haunting melody
my heart threatening to burst
a monologue on replay
the stifled cries of a dream
and another turning in its grave

ugliness, clear as day
a game of charades with fate
this doesn’t feel right
it stops now

take a leap of faith
they said
so, at long last
i did

i woke up dead this morning
bones shattered
heart still
lungs hollow
no void to fill.