Metaphor, Baggage

Contributor: Josette Torres

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I sit with secrets
 for months
on end, but you
 barge in
and ask what’s going on.

My life is an endless

non-disclosure agreement.

You can’t just walk in here—

I sit and watch clouds pass
through drawn shades

like whispers. I’m trying

to ignore you, but you sneak

around my defenses. You play

dirty, I don’t think it’s right—

I sit and think of lost nights

untouched by dread. When did

you decide you could rule

my life? I wasn’t asking for

a complete overhaul—

I write at cleared tables, build
stacks of books, tear paper
sheets
. Forget the last act ever
happened. I rewrite

our past in less than a day—


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Josette Torres received her MFA in Creative Writing from Virginia Tech. She also holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Purdue University. She is the Writer in Residence at the Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg, Virginia.