Forbidden

No one knows the person

behind the words that I write,

he is a stranger to me

until he appears late at night.

Lying awake I hear a voice

letting me know how I should feel

and in that moment for once

everything seems real.

No longer do I hide behind

the questions I want to ask,

I feel braver and think

I am up for any task.

But this person doesn’t

hang around for long

and soon enough

everything starts to go wrong.

I retreat back into

this world I have created,

where I read the words

and immediately feel deflated,

for there in the words

that I’ve written

are all the things I’d like to say

but I know are forbidden.