One slip, one word, and it caves me in,
A spiral of shame for the smallest sin.
It shouldn't matter, but it cuts so deep—
One crack, and I'm ruined, a failure complete.

It's a weight I can't shake, a stain I can't see,
A whisper that says, You'll never be free.
Like every small error's a fracture to show
That I'm broken inside in ways no one will know.

     — I Failed, Yet Again , 10/2/24