Poem Author: Tom Luker
The Enemy Between My Ears
The enemy between my ears has no face,
A shadow that lingers, a ghost taking space.
It whispers in echoes too quiet to trace,
Yet somehow, it’s louder than all I embrace.
An identity unknown, yet it knows me too well,
It scripts my own downfall, it writes my own hell.
A puppeteer pulling the strings of my mind,
Convincing me light is too hard to find.
Darkness fills this place—no room left for air,
The walls slowing closing, the weight of despair.
Laughter is distant, a song out of tune,
Drowned in the silence of midnight’s monsoon.
Happiness dethroned, its crown turned to dust,
Left in the hands of a creature I trust.
It wears my reflection, it speaks with my voice,
Yet every word strips me of reason, of choice.
An entity beneath my skin, unseen,
Yet it moves through my veins like it’s always been.
It weaves through my ribcage, it hums in my chest,
A lullaby laced with the promise of rest.
Aggressive with a soft tone, deceitful, divine,
It tells me it’s safety while taking what’s mine.
A war fought in whispers, a battle alone,
Riddled with anguish down to the bone.
I scream at the silence, but silence remains,
A vacuum that feeds on the weight of my pain.
If this is existence, if this is my fate,
Then why does escape feel like knocking on fate?
But somewhere within, past the sorrow and dust,
There lingers a voice not yet turned to rust.
A whisper that fights, though fragile and torn,
Reminding the darkness—it was not born.
Follow Tom on Instagram at @thomas.lukerr for more!
