Captive

There’s no catch, it just works out.
And he adores her the way you adore a crush you barely know
Scribbled names in notebooks, glances, glimpses,
Watching through open windows,
Delighted, intrigued, when there’s mystery
And you don’t already know
How great it isn’t
Bouts of cold days directly after summertime
Warmth, no warning, immersion,
Swallowing, smothering, choking
How do you know
That this is it and this is as good as it gets
When I know what it’s like to be alive
I’ve felt it before
It’s there, it’s achievable, it’s possible
To relax the neurons, snap back the synapses
And smile with open mouths and white teeth
And see color that’s not there
And exaggerate events until it’s an experience
You’ll archive and access
On bleak days like today.
There is no prison for innocent people.