Shadow Puppet

I worshiped you,
madly thrumming against the walls,
and you were unaffected by my
broken rhythm.
Darkness surrounded me in my naivete,
strangling the light
to mock my vain attempts at earning your attention.
My flailing limbs drummed out
desperation against your cold stone.
You did not move.

Dance.
Dance.
Dance with me--
the repetition of my futility.
You wouldn't even do me the honor
of holding me at arm's length.

People stared,
mesmerized by my disjointed movements,
as random nerve endings fired.
They saw only my self-destructing.
You were the constant--
you quickly became the scenery,
unflinching at my every turn.
They couldn't fathom the reason
for my dissonant beating against the concrete;
I was their circus of breath
as I tried to bend what is certain.
They watched,
unwilling to quiet the
thud, thud, thudding;
and so, I danced.