Customs

by faintnaomi · 21/10/2025
Published 21/10/2025 14:56

The plexiglass is thick and scratched.

In the reflection, my jaw is heavy,

a different shape than the boy

behind the plastic sheet in my hand.


I am holding a document

that says I am twenty-two,

but the laminate is peeling at the corner.

It catches on the meat of my thumb,

a tiny, transparent splinter

reminding me that I have stayed too long.

#alienation #bureaucracy #coming of age #identity #self reflection

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