Cracks in the Walls 

by trogers5 on March 27, 2022


Poetry


butterfly sitting on a flower
photo creds: pixabay

Caitlin Bartley ’24

 

Nostalgia likes to creep through the cracks in the walls 

And seep its way into my pores to suffocate me in my sleep. 

The air becomes thick with memory, a stifling heat 

That makes my mind hazy with hallucinations. 

When it enters my bloodstream, I slip into oblivion 

And dream of a girl 

That carries herself with the exuberance of a butterfly 

Emerging from a chrysalis, showing off its wings. 

 

Nostalgia is a callous chemical that injects ignorance into  

My veins and gets me high. The withdrawal is overwhelming, 

The chattering teeth, 

The useless limbs pinned to the bathroom floor, 

My head in a bowl purging lingering naiveté. 

How stupid of me to forget  

That the girl in the dream is now a woman trapped in a nightmare,  

That sparkling trophies and shining report cards 

Will fade on far away shelves, collecting permanent dust. 

 

I cover my petal pink walls with 

Layer upon layer of gray paint 

To stop nostalgia from sneaking by again. 

 

I trade in a butterfly for a moth and exist in a hollow cocoon.