Lessons in the Dust

Salt stings the corners of my mouth,

a bitter reminder of words thrown like stones.

Cracked pavement outside the café,

where the world blurred with anger,

each syllable a bruise beneath my skin.

I thought I’d win, thought my heart would roar,

yet my voice cracked against the weight of his,

echoing down darkened halls,

a lesson learned in public.

What’s left is a silence I can’t outgrow,

a chasm of pride, a table turned cold,

each argument a brick in the wall I now see,

your sneer still hovers in the cracks like ghosts.