(JACKSON)
I.
I got tired of the exposure. The feeling that, somehow, all parts of me were out for common observation, the only thing that I could hide would be the words behind it all. Even then, things became really complicated. The anger came in, slowly at first, and then more and more, listening to her words.
How easy it is sometimes to feel played.
I wanted to shrink back into that shell; retract the soft and squishy parts, avoid the hard conversations, stop questioning what was really said and find some sort of consistent way to live.
II.
I lived at my parents house, the blue velvet couch always rubbing the wrong way, twisting up the sheets. I took the bus.
III.
Be calculated with your next move, he says. Don't just go somewhere to go. Make sure that you have something set up and go towards that. Find a place where you can do the things you want to. Don't compromise. Be careful, he warns.
I hear it in his voice.
I will, I say.
No, be careful. Keep all your limbs attached to the ground.
