Don't Get Too Close

(I look fine… don't I…)

(Just don't stay too long…)

I said a a a a

I walk in like I've done this before

Every move already rehearsed

Keep it steady, keep it clean

Keep the cracks behind the scene

Eyes don't linger anywhere

Like they're scared of what is there

Every second calculated

Every feeling separated

I'm not distant, I'm contained

Holding shape so I don't break

I'm not empty, I'm restrained

There's too much I can't escape

Don't get too close

You might see it shift

Everything I hold

Hanging by a thread like this

I'm still standing straight

But it's paper thin

If you look inside

You'll see where it begins

Perfect from afar

But it's caving in

Don't get too close

Or it all gives in

I laugh right on every cue

Like it's something I can use

Turn the moment into noise

So I don't have to feel the void

I don't stay where silence grows

I don't let the pressure show

Every door I never open

Every word I leave unspoken

I'm not stable, I'm aligned

Just enough to pass the line

I'm not fading, I'm confined

Running circles in my mind

Hold it— steady

Don't let it fall apart

Stay— ready

Play the perfect part

I don't need you to save me now

I just need you to not look down

If you see it, it becomes real

And I don't know how that feels

If I stop, I might collapse

Every line I built goes black

So I keep it all in place

While it's slipping anyway

Don't get too close

You might see it break

Everything I am

Held together just for shape

Perfect from afar

But it's wearing thin

Don't get too close

Or it all caves in

(It's still holding…)

(For now…)