The Roommate

Black pools ripple in her eyes

Dilated spheres of emptiness

Proof that she’s gone again

She often does this

Invoking her own insanity

With those little white pills

She is home

She is what I come to each night

She is screaming, lies, and rage

A beast sleeping but three feet away

Only an arm’s length of space

Keeping me from her storm

But I’ve adapted

A fearless, empty face

An icy, steady voice

These keep me safe in danger

To feel would mean death

As the animal she becomes

Feeds on honesty and openness

I’ve learned to live here

I’ve learned to battle

I’ve learned to hide

I’ve learned to survive