3 a.m.

All this, and yet we smile.

"I'm ashamed of myself,"

I said to the dark.

And the dark listened,

And it held me in its arms.

I hunch over the dirty basin, and

The strange face in the mirror

Stares into the void

Of a human soul.

And the dark whispers:

"This, O wretched man, is who you are."

And I stare at those hands,

Hands that seem leagues away,

And I stare into those

Sleepless eyes,

And I remember what

I've learned: Shame

Makes our bodies crumble

Till all that is left is the void.

All this, and yet we smile.