here in the shadows of bowed backs
& exotic tattoos, the late shift reeks
of brokenness & desperation
still, they wear the inside out over skin
& will not be silenced

their fingers yellowed from cheap smokes
belch & burn, cracks on their phone screens
let slip the strain on their fractured hearts
yet they wear the inside out over skin
& will not be silenced

zombie drowse, lulled by a trans voice
to reach past the binary of lost & dreams
laws forbid them but cannot unmake them
they’ll still wear the inside out over skin
& will not be silenced

hiss & shut tight, do not lean on doors
the daily commute, sisyphean loop
can’t wait to get home again tonight
keep wearing the inside out over skin
& do not be silenced