I press myself near the wall
hang my hair over my face
and hope all
you see
is a shadow
a ghost
another passerby

One in two thousand
I turn my feet inward
even my walk is
submissive
it’s the prey’s
walk of shame

It’s a blessing
going unnoticed
I train my eyes on the floor
and watch plastic legs walk by
carrying matches for bodies
ashes for faces

You light them all on fire
and they go up in flames
unaware
you turn on your heel
and strut away from the
burning house
scene of the crime
as the silent shrieks
echo behind you

And after death
we slink along the walls
even among each other
our tight-lipped smiles
are caging our candles
our whispered voices
are pleasantries
as we bow our heads
half-smiles obscuring
an outsider’s view

But you’ve never
done the prey’s
walk of shame
you’ve never been
set on fire

it’s hard to
explain