I wonder where
I find the steel
that aligns itself
along my spine.

This ability
to stand,
to walk,
to carry on.

To live.

A mannequin
disguise
perhaps.

For in those moments
of fragile collapse,
where the outlines
are just cobweb strands

it seems impossible
and I lie in awe
of my tendency to
endure.

To stand,
to walk,
to carry on.

I must collect
these particles
of strength
from somewhere

in oblivion

for I do not
produce such things
in the emptiness of
myself.