Rust

The lock had seized.

Rust all the way through.

I tried to turn the key

and felt the metal give way instead of turn,

felt it crumble

like it was tired of holding anything in place.

How long was it sitting there?

How long was I not using it?

The orange-red came off on my fingers.

A wound that's been healing wrong.

Oxidation teaching me

what happens when you leave something

exposed to air and time

and don't check on it.

Don't oil it.

Don't use it.

Don't keep the mechanism moving.

It just corrodes.

It just lets go.

It just becomes something

that looks like itself

but won't function anymore,

something that's been breaking down

the whole time you thought it was safe.