Shayan Afzal

morning arrives
without checking if i’m ready

the room continues
as if i agreed to it

i move through objects
that remember me
better than i remember them

time keeps its distance
like a wary animal
watching to see if i’ll chase

i don’t chase

i’ve learned
how much weight falls away
when you stop asking what things mean

hunger is honest
so is weather
so is walking until thought thins out

somewhere between breath and motion
i misplaced the story
and didn’t go back for it

whatever survives
doesn’t need witnesses

i keep moving
because stillness
asks too many questions