Aware, to an extent,
How the air extends
Like follicles sense
A metaphor’s thickening,
He rescinds permission
To dream himself,
Then retracts, like a hermit
Crab refuses a shell.
He likes his old walls.
His skin’s tight confines
Help to hold him in.
Secure in a cell’s comfort,
He’s safe in his belief:
the chains make him free.
(May 4, 2017)
subtext 