parking lot conversations

Finger-drawn truths on a foggy car window.

A series of intimate, late-night reflections. Parking Lot Conversations maps the journey from doubt to clarity, documenting the honest, unscripted thoughts that only surface when the engine is off and the world finally goes quiet.

---

been there, done that

^{[advice I’ve given a friend sitting in the passenger seat]}

Those shadows follow like a familiar ghost,
Tracing the paths where you have surely been.
Yet listen to the one who loves you most,
And let their gentle light bring you back in.

Your scars are not the end of every story,
They are the brushstrokes of a life defined.
There is a nameless and hidden glory,
In all the secret things you leave behind.

When darkness whispers that you’ve lost your way,
And fear becomes a shadow in your chest,
Just reach across the silence of the day,
And give your weary spirit room to rest.

You will emerge, as you have done before,
With light enough to spark a brand new dawn.
You’re heading safely toward a brighter shore,
The storm is fading, and the fear is gone.

---

persuade

^{[confession whispered while keeping the engine running]}

I guard my no like a secret.
A velvet wall hides my pride.
I wait for you to see it.
My hesitation is nowhere to hide.

I am a collection of contradictions.
My heart looks out the window.
I fear the weight of reactions.
I tremble while I let you go.

I dodge the weight of your unspoken truth
I fear I might just disappear.
I hide my heart in my youth.
I hold onto my heavy fear.

I long for your steady hands.
You catch my chin and wait.
Your touch commands what it demands.
You decide my sudden, golden fate.

Do not trust my hollow shield.
I track your steps toward me.
Now I am ready to yield.
You set my tired spirit free.

---

evanesce

^{[an observation made while watching the town lights fade]}

The ticking clock is just a whispered hum,
A fragile breath between the dark and light.
I gather all the ghosts that I’ve become,
And make my peace within the deepest night.

The road is long and takes the scenic bend,
Where memories bloom like flowers in the rain.
I call the broken parts of me a friend,
And find the healing tucked inside the pain.

The movies replay scenes of grief and glee,
The midnight songs still linger in my chest.
I’m learning how to let the tension be,
And give my weary, searching heart a rest.

Though everything may vanish in a blink,
I choose to savor all the beauty here.
I stand right on the edge and never shrink,
Fully known, and finally, without fear.

---

imposter syndrome

^{[internal dialogue to the rearview mirror when no one else is around]}

The stage is set, the lights are burning bright,
But shadows whisper doubt inside my head.
I wear this mask of polished, borrowed light,
And fear the fragile lines are being read.

I search for footing on this shifting ground,
A hollow hum where confidence should bloom.
Is there a truth in all this silence found,
Or am I just a stranger in this room?

The heavy weight of being someone else,
A story told in phantom, shifting ink.
I’m learning how to listen to myself,
And find the courage just to stop and blink.

I’ll strip the stage of all these heavy fears,
And let the honest, trembling spirit rise.
To find a way to be, through all the years,
With nothing left to hide behind my eyes.

---

etched

^{[the final decision made before turning the key to leave]}

Every street corner maps our past.
The grocery aisle holds ghosts of us.
These narrow roads were built to last.
I walk in circles, frantic and hushed

I memorize routes to avoid your light.
Your favorite cafe is a border line.
I keep my head low, out of sight.
I leave behind the ghost of mine.

I scrub your name from every screen.
The weekend stretches thin and cold.
I am a shadow of what has been.
The story feels familiar and old.

I sit in the lot to watch the gray.
My coffee tastes like a bitter sting.
I wish the distance was far away.
I hate the memory that you bring.

I am untangling you from my skin.
This town feels smaller than before.
I am waiting for a new begin.
I finally stop locking the door.

---

_{The response to my recent poems has been so encouraging that I’ve decided to stop keeping them hidden in my Notes app. I’m so happy to bring them out into the light. This new collection is a little something to hold you over until I’m back from my trip. I hope you enjoy them! <3}