Suspended in Silence

Riding in silence, the elevator creaked,

as it paused between floors, I felt suddenly weak.

Strangers beside me, their eyes cast away,

wrapped in their thoughts, in the space we betray.

The flickering light above buzzed with dread,

each moment a heartbeat, each pause brought a thread.

We’re caught in this metal, a box filled with air,

my thoughts are unspooling, with no one to share.

An awkward smile flickers, a silent hello,

but the weight of the walls feels like a shadow.

Panic begins to stitch through my chest tight,

what if we’re stuck here, lost in the night?

Time holds its breath as we hang in this space,

with strangers in silence, we share a brief trace.