Inside the Inside

In the cave I cower

Against walls and floor as stoney

As my heart

I gain comfort

In the chill seeping into me

In the aches

In the emptiness

But

Even with its vastness

I feel suffocated

Claustrophobic

In its crushing space

The entrance

Invited me

Teased me

Safety, it promised

Warmth, it said

Comfort, it lied

So now, in the cave I cower

The entrance now an exit

One I can't approach

For the teases are taunts

The invites are insidious

The promises perished

A mountain of self doubt

Erupted like a volcano

Stands between us

In the cave of my self image

I cower