I don't bargain
Not anymore
I spend my time with ghosts
Because their stories are finished
And I know the endings
I stay in happy places
No matter the cost
Years sometimes
Just to check out at 4am
If I feel disrepected
I have learned powerful things:
Nothing is dispensable
Something will always fill the void
Even if it's just the voices in my head
So, no. I don't bargain anymore
I give what I choose
I take what is offered
I choose early departures
But I still arrive late
Or even not at all
That is my liberty
That is my strength
That is the thing I like most about myself.