Penned in White

EXT. OPEN FIELD - DAY Two chairs stand empty. A first man approaches one of the chairs and sits. A few moments pass and another man sits in the chair across from him.  SECOND MAN Thanks for coming back. The first man nods his head.  SECOND MAN Our time is limited so I’d like to jump right in.  FIRST MAN Sure.  SECOND MAN Last we spoke the predominant thoughts in your mind were that of loneliness. Is that still true? FIRST MAN I believe so. (A beat) Although, It’s not a feeling of being alone but that people don’t care and because of that I feel alone around people. I understand that people do care, but I can’t change how I feel. SECOND MAN Could you identify an action or experience that brings those feelings to the front of your perception? A pause. FIRST MAN Not necessarily. Sometimes it comes about randomly. It can be small things that others don’t think about. I think on top of that I can feel like I shouldn’t feel alone. I feel weak and like less of a person beca...

My fingers seize as my thoughts yearn to cling to their last clandestine precipice. My intestines turn on themselves and fall into their own depths as I write this now. My heart battles against its barbaric cage, longing to feel freedom. My eyes should be shut, my body at peace, but that peace is unattainable when my mind is at war. Opposite states of being may never occur simultaneously. Peace, the peace I long for is the quiet. The gentle release of nothing. That weight that bears on my chest slipping from existence. The racing thoughts halting for a long breath. At these times, it’s people that I wish to turn to. Human connection and the illusion of intimacy. A pair of eyes to look into as I say this. I reminisce on the subtle movements the eyes make when you’re looking into those of someone you love. Fractional motions back and forth. I truly hope there is a time in my life for that again. That look someone gives before a kiss. The look of connection. Like a world has blossomed jus...