I peel paper,
yellow—
jaundice skin, is it mine?

I sit inside myself. I am a room
with a view,
but I peel paper to pass the time.
My bones make for odd furniture,
so I pace the floor and stare at faces
mutely creeping through my walls.
The space is violently silent,
and

I peel paper,
yellow.

The pong of falling off does
permeate
this prison.
Layer under layer I see,
and outside the window, others be.
I cannot go to them. And someone
wants free from the plaster,
and inside
my
room.

I keep peeling paper,
yellow.
Someday we’ll get out
together.

Kindra M. Austin is an author, editor, and micro-publisher from Chesaning, Michigan, USA. Her debut novel was published in April, 2017. To date, Austin has published two poetry books (Constant Muses, and TWELVE, rated five stars by Readers’ Favorite), a novel (Magpie in August), and one novella (For You, Rowena). She is currently working on a second novel (Royce with the Rose Gold Hair) to be released in early 2020.

You can read more of her writing at KINDRA M. AUSTIN and MORBID CORVID