Stolen Seconds
sometimes
her mind crumbles cracks
a jigsaw piece trapped
between old sofa sheets
she blinks
seconds, a breath
as the girl with silver rings
walks in her dreams
shy giggles, shy glances
innocent hand touches
her bubblegum lips
a deep cherry kiss
she blinks
seconds, a breath
heart bursts, sweat burns
as shame screams, sleepy fiends
no more dreams
stress echoes in her ribs
can’t breathe
most of the time
her mind mumbles aches
jigsaw pieces break
strings snap, throat closes
breath like broken glass
cuts fast
into hearts of hearts
she chokes
silent fears, closet years
forget to feel, no big deal
stupid fucking salty tears
hide the sly blushes
hide the heart flutters
just breathe
but sometimes
deep in sleep
her mind wanders
dissolves, melts into
soft kisses, hand touches
cherry kisses
meet bubblegum lips
hair tangled in silver rings
she blinks
in the sometimes
stolen, secret seconds
in between blinks, thoughts and dreams
she finally breathes

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Words by Isabel-Sofia Pias Diaz
Artwork by Claudia Smith (@claudiart_photo)
It is easy to see dreams as a fleeting moment of fantasy. As a way to lose yourself in an everchanging kaleidoscope of memory and imagination. Slow blinks that lead you to feeling like your falling or travelling to long, lost places. But dreams are so much more than this.
This rich escapism that finds you at night can be a place of comfort and safety; a platform for self-discovery and expression. In many ways, it is in dreams where you can exist as your most authentic and unapologetic self. Under all the fantasy, exists the often-ignored truth of how incredibly dynamic and beautiful you are. It is the one place where no matter what happens your identity and sexuality is free to transcend all barriers of self-doubt and worry, devoid of hesitations or fears.
In my poem, I explore these stolen seconds; these moments in which you are not comfortable in your reality but feel alive and anew in your dreams.