My Darker Twin

I see you clear when I am weak,

You rise when I can barely speak.

You sharpen smiles, I try to hide,

You flourish where I die inside.

You trace my scars with lover’s grace,

Then dare me to reveal your face.

You whisper what I’d never say,

And laugh when I just look away.

You are the scream I hold inside,

The urge I bury, vilify.

You do not flinch nor do you fall,

You’d watch me beg and take it all.

You'd burn the bridge and salt the land,

As I reach out with trembling hands.

I’d pray for peace, you’d bait the fight.

I dim the flame, you crave the light.

You dress in rage I dare not feel,

You wound to prove that you can heal.

You dance where I would crawl or bow,

You do what conscience won’t allow.

And still, I feel you when I sleep,

You haunt the spaces silence keeps.

You’re not a ghost nor just a mask,

You are the mirror I would not ask.

We share a soul, a blood, a skin,

My shadow self and darker twin.