i woke up already pulled thin— not skin, not muscle, something quieter like a filament strung too tight between two invisible hands red lived in my throat not shouting— glowing a coal that refused language everything asked something of me even the light even the air stretch— hold— stretch— i could feel the exact moment before breaking like time paused to watch and then snap not loud not cinematic just absence i scattered inward a million miles behind my own eyes watching my hands move like they belonged to someone who knew what to do i did not follow i hovered unreachable untouched somewhere far away the anger still burned but it wasn’t mine anymore just a red star collapsing in the distance