January 15, 2026
Heart on My Sleeves

I left the bathroom, damp and stumbling with a cloth eratically wrapped around me as security

Two wooden panels tower over

My trembling fingers reach for the steel handle of the closet

Met by familiar hues and textures

Neatly folded clothes and a rack of outfits that hang from above

Daring not to topple a stack or muck up any crease my mind throbs to leave it as it is

Awakened by a shiver that crept up my spine as cold air lingers on my exposed skin

I search for something to start with thoughtless and simple

Plain undergarments latch on

Now the idea grows unchecked

Hesitation muddles my vision

To be reveled, should I fit into a theme or vamp into someone avant-garde?

A form-fitting shirt, coupled with belt and straps paralyze my thoughts, yet dictate my subservience

Opting for one that is generously cut and flowing the pigments start to scream

Vibrant yellows and greens are pockmarked with red

Now yearning for isolation, a hooded jacket invites me to dwell in

Strenuously digging into this heap of threads

Some intricate ensemble I try to piece together

My eyes spin in a random direction

Suddenly, a naked figure is looking back at me

Messy and flushed by a stream of tears

The complexity of this feat now becomes clear

That is where it must lead

Beyond glamour is one’s verity

A sourceless voice began to inquire

How long will it take for this to be done?

A reassured heart now speaks

Until I am ready.