“Inside the Inside

In the cave I cower

Against walls and floor as stoney
As my heart
I gain comfort
In the chill seeping into me
In the aches
In the emptiness

But
Even with its vastness
I feel suffocated
Claustrophobic
In its crushing space

The entrance
Invited me
Teased me
Safety, it promised
Warmth, it said
Comfort, it lied

So now, in the cave I cower
The entrance now an exit
One I can’t approach
For the teases are taunts
The invites are insidious
The promises perished

A mountain of self-doubt
Erupted like a volcano
Stands between us

In the cave of my self-image
I cower”