impostor syndrome
that summer
seemed to last forever
stalled
in the hot decline
where only the feistiest flowers
thrived in ditches
and blackberry bushes
steeped
in humid air
i woke
from the sweet ether
of denial
only to be
broken
by self-doubt
love
is a tough thing,
very often
you
were the
closest
to home
i had felt
for years
