thermal ink

sad person, dysphoric and sunken.
picks a label with hope and belief

treacherous idea, foreign and painful.
give me a reason to keep pushing

imprinted boldly, bright and jolly
let me feel loved and seen

burdened existence, charred and chilling.
don't fall out of line yet

unrecognisable body, coerced and bruised.
maybe effort could fix it all

lonely days, dazed and exhausted
losing grip on my reality

shallow imprint, feeble and masked
dwindling energy and losing hope

false beliefs, shattered yet upheld
using a flag that doesn't feel home

fading ideals, faint yet repeated
wielding flesh only for reaffirmation

unknown hands, crying yet holding
the mirror reflects someone else

wiped, erased
with friction and wear

faded
an unintelligible label.