i sat down next to my partner the seat steady beneath me the sun soft on my skin we had to make a project on trauma— a sensitive thing but as we sat i heard her say it “dramatic.” dramatic— how people freeze in their tracks how they get trapped inside their own minds my heart beat against my ribs too loud to ignore dramatic? is it dramatic to watch someone lose themselves slowly piece by piece is it dramatic when people are told to get over it to man up until they disappear? all i could see was red my careful mask cracking i wanted to snap— to make her feel it just for a second My carefully hidden anger Rearing its ugly head but instead i stood up and left left to quiet the storm i keep buried