Welcome to the party that never ends!

Undoing the years of poison pulsing through my veins took a strength not passed down to me by blood.

I sneak off to the terrace as the chatter amplifies.

A man resembling the Cheshire Cat smiles from the other side of the room.

He is the tour guide for the visitors of my twisted mind.

Posing the question,

Why am I leaving so soon?

Losing myself to the crowd,

Sweaty, writhing bodies devouring any morsel of attention.

My body has forgiven me for my pollution.

Still, I inhale deeply and it’s as if my lungs have forgotten what clean air tasted like.

The laughter died.

Memories came flooding back—

Skinned knees, streetlights.

Youth wasted working up the courage to cross the street.

I was taught to look both ways.

Wait until the glowing white silhouette gives me the clearance.

But I was too afraid to take the first step.

I left my inner child at an abandoned playground,

Hanging wistfully from the middle monkey bar

Just to wonder if my feet will forget the stability of solid ground.