Keep of Hollowness, The

There is a hollowness deep inside,
A place where I retreat
Whenever I need to hide.

There, nothing can reach me.
Nothing can wound me.
It is a safe and silent place
That no one else can see.

Something stirs behind my eyes.
Another version of me
Slips on a familiar disguise.

While I remain curled within
My hollow refuge,

The other me takes my place.
He wears my face.
He has little interest
In what others have to say.
He feels nothing
For what they wish to convey.

He is my protector,
My shield against the storm,
Guarding the wounded self within
While old fractures slowly mend.

Until something changes,
And this hollow space is filled,
There will be no warmth,
No comfort,
No embrace.
His words are insincere.
His actions are mechanical.
He is a wall,
Raised between myself
And a world grown far too chaotic.

Yet someday,
Colour will return to my eyes.
The other me will fade
As the turmoil subsides.
And I will stand once more,
Present and unguarded,
With no need to hide
Within the Keep of Hollowness
That I have built inside..