i am a single space between words on a yellowing page. a break to shake away the ache of eyes intent on deriving all meaning from reading. i am clinging to a chunk of debris, residue of a ship lost at sea, and i am trying to plead for a moment or two with the one who originally set it in motion. i am a stain on the canvas of time, construed as mistaken or deliberate lines. i want to define myself apart from the whole, but this composition calls for compliance of all. i am a voice in an echoey room, whispering defiance but greeted by silence. the silence punctuated by a thousand crashes from banquet tables upturned by the frustrated masses. i am one scratch on an amputated arm. medical refuse refusing to decompose and rejoin the landfill soil. i am one kiss in a flurry of emotion, caught in a moment surrendered in an instant and only one facet of lovemaking after. i am one grain on an endless beach of sand, sparkling like jewelry in the blue-skied sunlight. too bad i'm only one sparkle of many, if anyone saw me they'd quickly move and lose me. i am content but not demure. i have nothing to offer but plenty to withhold. if you stooped to pick me up you probably wasted your time. because i am only a dime glued to the floor, a joke to prevent you from feeling secure.