it’s been
almost a year
of seclusion
a patented
refusal to
continue trying
to pretend like
the games are
worth the time.

in my hermitage
i discovered by
going silent
the universe fell
into silence as well
a confirmation of
how unnecessary
interactions
truly were.

the people whom
i felt the closest
autumnal leaves
in a vibrancy of
hues which fell
farther away
while the stresses
of existence wore
down my resolve.

there is no peace
just a constant flinching
from each new calamity
new scars from where
old bonds rotted away
and a series of
phantom pains where
a sense of community
once flourished only
to become a fetid
reminder of loss.