Clearance

The spiderweb crack is finally gone,

replaced by a pane so cold and clear

I can see the neighbors on their lawn

and everything I’ve learned to fear.

I’m looking at myself for the first time

without the distorting, jagged line.

It feels like I’ve committed a crime

by letting the outside world look fine.

There’s a strip of tape residue left,

a sticky ghost on the wooden frame.

I feel a strange and sudden theft

now that the glass doesn't look the same.