Crickets

Don’t put this all on me
I asked, I didn’t beg, I didn’t
Barter, bargain, trade
This isn’t an even exchange
You were there and now you’re in this
I’m so far out but you’re still haunting me
In shadowed corners, window reflections,
Disdainful messages
I’ll show him what you said
I’ll tell them what you did
You can’t claim innocence
The people who commit the crimes
Are rarely leaving fingerprints
If I were you I’d keep running
I’m staying but I’m not waiting
At night, in my cavern, I play back the recordings,
I scroll through the archives,
I remember the way you looked, head thrown back
Avoiding eye contact, always skulking in the peripheral
Patrolling the perimeter
You will not cage me
You can’t make me confess
My secrets are plaque in my veins
She warned me I would lose
If I played