Just Gone

The train pulled in, a metal beast of sound,

and bodies surged, from underground.

I felt the crush, the hurried, frantic beat,

a thousand pulses, pressed against my feet.

And in that press, that humid, frantic air,

a sudden wish, to simply not be there.

Not gone for good, no dramatic fade,

no final curtain, no decision made

to leave it all. Just to be less, be small.

To slip the leash, escape the call.

To be a ghost, but one that still can see,

just un-burdened, un-accountable, free.

To be air, maybe, or a thin, clear pane,

let all the noise, the pressure, the sharp rain

of other people's needs, just pass right through.

To shed the skin, the heavy, binding glue

of being known, of being asked for things.

Just to be lighter. To not feel these stings.