i saw today a reflection of me
a person i didn't want to be
no smile allowed or did engage
the air was dead a wordless page
i felt the tension in the air
i could not cut it with my stare
with painful eyes i looked away
i did not want to tarnish my day
but somewhere deep where thoughts procure
i felt a guilt i resolved to endure
for at times i close the door
to others i seem to ignore
it's not because i choose to retract
more because the way they act
and i pull that shell up over me
to shut out the world and its possibility.........