i think i can't sleep because
i have fireflies trapped
in my stomach
in my head
in my chest

they're imprisoned in me
they can't sleep either

rocketing from one end
of my being to the other
attempting to find a way out

i have been trying for years
to escape my own head
i know there is no trap
door at the back of my skull
no exit sign on the inside of my wrist
no winding tunnel that leads
to the edge of my fingertips

so here they lay within me
buzzing and illuminating
wandering around as if
there is a point to this all

they keep me company at the
witching hours of a deep night
humming in the folds of my thoughts
as i theorize the loneliness of one fate
and the excitement of another

there is no way out of this skin
we can only make ourselves at home
in this method of existence

- they keep murmuring