I Am Not

Written by Jacob Ibrag

I am not

the net you seek after a cold

door abandons you on a warm

summers day. I am not the phone

number you’ve set in the sixth slot

of your speed dial. I am not the

familiar shoulder that will comfort

you after a driving day with your

distant family. I will not be reduced

to hand me down quality conversation

after the rest take a chunk of your

undivided attention. I will not pace

across the corridor and back at four

in the morning asking why I’m not the

guy you choose to be by your bedside.

I will not wait for your voice to wake

me on a Sunday afternoon after staying

up to find the stars we named after

each other. I am not in denial. I am

not, in denial. I am, not in denial.

I, am.

Photography by Alessio Albi