Thought Grime

Other people's thoughts are a disease They creep into my body through the eyes and the ears And fester in my mind They spread through the brain and rot it out Like some kind of human spongiform encephalitis Where my own mind was there is now a blasted, torn-up mess of thoughts Some were mine, some were yours And some are warped and melded versions of both Other people's thoughts are a distraction I know what I want I know what is right I know what I care about Stop telling me otherwise Stop eroding my focus Stop screaming what you want, what you need, in my ears I can't keep it straight in my head if you keep talking Other people's thoughts are an addiction I don't want to see but I still crave it On the computer, on a cellphone Social media seeps up through the cracks of my foundation Begging for attention: just one look, just a peek at the world outside of my bubble But it pierces that bubble and lodges itself in my consciousness Your opinions slither into mine like a parasite I don't want them here, but now I can't separate them from my own Other people's thoughts bring pain Other people's thoughts bring elation Other people's thoughts bring confusion Other people's thoughts bring enlightenment I can't remain safe in my ignorance around your thoughts I need to keep them out