Clouds settle gently
Over the stoic mountains outside
Like a duvet
On a cold winter morning.

I wish I could cover myself
In them -
Pull the cloud duvet up to my chin,
Embraced by their downy warmth -
And sleep until
I no longer ache inside.

I'm 3 days into
End-of-term holidays,
And I've already broken my
Healthier drinking streak.

My days are blurring together,
And despite my vocal complaints,
A very large part of me is
Privately relieved to see the dates
Racing past.

I'm not well-rested.
I'm never well-rested.
The bags underneath my eyes
Are persistent passengers.
Yet,
I crave a speedy return
To my packed and tightly-scheduled
Teaching days
In which I can forget
I exist.

Taking care of this human body is
E X H A U S T I N G
And thankless.

I was enraptured in conversation
With some locals in the small
Beach-side town
My parents co-own a property at
The other night...

[The town is small
And easily unnoticeable.
We've come to learn that
It is a place where
Permanent residents
Come to hide from the law
Or disgruntled acquaintances.

People come here to disappear.

We drink at the local pub
With ex-leaders of international
And national gangs.
We share anecdotes with
People on the run.
We have a laugh
With people who have lost a large
Portion of their life
To drug abuse.

We do so lovingly.

The people here
Have been chewed up and
Spat out
By life.
They only wish to escape
Into wider-public elusivity
While fostering genuine friendships
For the first time in a long time.]

So,
There I was,
Sloshed out of my mind
On happy hour cocktails
As I had deep and meaningful
Conversations
With some of these
Locals.

One had held a
Friendly small talk conversation
With me for about 10 minutes
Before he paused and queried
"I gotta ask, are you gay?"

My life and safety flashed
Before my eyes.
I stalled an answer for a while,
Keeping track of where my friends were
In case I needed an excuse for escape.

Our conversation continued,
And he shared his recent experiences
With his young adult daughter
Coming out to him.
It...