Missing

I’ve been absent

Vacant

My body is here but nobody’s home

I hung a sign on my mind that said

Gone Fishin'

I don’t know if I’m coming back

There’s missed messages on my answering machine

The World calls daily

I don’t pick up, because don’t know what to say

He cajoles and threatens 

He says don’t be such a coward

Get back here and deal with this

He says "You can’t just disappear!

You have things to do!

The longer you wait, the worse it will be"

I’m not sure why that would convince me 

If I knew how to fix it,

I wouldn’t have left

My greeting says “I’ll call you back”

But I don’t

I hit delete so the light stops blinking,

But they don’t go away

The messages eat at my insides like rats 

The wounds left behind fester and bleed