Burnout

In twilight’s haze, where shadows creep,
A soul unravels, threads frown deep.
The clock ticks on, a relentless beat,
Dreams suffocate beneath concrete feet.

Part 1: Ember’s Fade

Flames that once danced, now smolder gray,
Passion’s ember, choked by endless day.
Tasks pile high, like autumn’s leaves,
Crushing weight, the heart’s wild weave.

- - -

You chase the clock, a ghost in loops,
Exhaustion whispers: _you’re not enough_.
Each checkbox ticked, a victory cold,
Joy leaks away, like stories untold.

Memories flicker – laughter, love, art –
Now distant echoes in a fractured heart.
The desk, a battleground. The bed, a cage.
When did the spark turn to rusty rage?

Part 2: Fractures

Mirrors show a stranger’s tired eyes,
A map of fractures, hidden compromises.
Smiles are masks. Tears are debts unpaid,
Drowsy mornings, where hope goes to fade.

- - -

You ghost through days in autopilot haze,
Missing beats, as life’s wild song decays.
Colleaques’ voices blur, a distant hum,
Tasks done on loop, but the soul’s numb.

Family photos gather dust. Words unsaid.
Love’s tendrils wither. The heart’s threadbare red.
Night falls hard. The mind spins threads,
_Could’ve been_, _should’ve been_, in restless beds.

Part 3: The Weight

Bodies bend beneath unspoken loads,
Aches that whisper: _this isn’t what you owed_.
Dreams shelved like books in forgotten stacks,
The fire in you, a dying flicker’s cracks.

- - -

Silence gathers. No one asks _how_.
You learn to hide, to nod, to wear _I’m fine_ now.
But in dark rooms, truth unravels slow,
_This isn’t living._ _This is slow_.

Coffee’s bitter. Food’s a chore. Air’s thin.
Each breath a fight. Each smile a sin.
Lonely hours, where ghosts take shape,
Echoes of _what if_, _why_, _escape_.

Part 4: Fracture Points

Some nights, rage ignites like fuel,
_Trapdoors slam._ _The mask cracks cruel._
Tears stream hot. The pillow swallows screams,
_Mistakes pile high._ _No one knows my seams._

- - -

Forgotten joys resurface, taunt and sting,
_You were a dreamer._ _Now you’re a thing._
Phrases loop: _not enough._ _too slow._
Burnout’s shadow eats the light you know.

But…

Part 5: Sparks

Midnight. Rain taps. A letter writes,
Words pour raw, like cuts that won’t hide.
A younger you appears in windowglass,
Eyes that sparkled. Hopes that didn’t pass.

- - -

The pen lingers. Ink blots. Heart slows.
The past self smiles. The present knows.
_Tough to breathe,_ but words spill free,
_I see you._ _I hear me._

Part 6: Threads

Memories thread – laughter, fights, first loves,
Fires you fanned, though winds sent doves.
The desk’s dark wood. The chair’s soft sigh.
The letter ends. The younger self drifts by.

- - -

Lampshade warmth. Shadows lift their gaze.
Outside, rain veils Prague’s twilight haze.
You fold the page. A spark revives.
_Enough_ whispers. _This is where I thrive._