Anexis Matos

I consume stories to escape.
To not be consumed by the shadows.
To stop myself from constantly reacting.
To keep from destroying myself.

I consume stories to escape.
To keep the demons at bay.
To keep my already broken heart
from breaking even more.

I consume stories to escape.
To keep from remembering
the challenges that constantly plague me.
To feel normal
in a society
that doesn’t view me as such.
To be normal
in a society
that views me more like a problem or liability
than a person.
To be normal
in a society
that offers me less than what I deserve.

I consume stories to escape.
To enter worlds
where I don’t have to think
about any of this.
Where I don’t have to think
about myself.

I consume stories to escape,
so that when it all goes to hell,
I am not here.

Author’s Note

Hey, everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed today’s poem.

I’m really enjoying sharing my creative work here. I’ll be doing it as often as I can. Next week, I’ll be be reviewing In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. In the meantime, if you want to see more content from me, such as writing updates, you can subscribe to my channel below.