Cash tab

you say it’s under control

like it’s just something you do

late at night when the house is quiet

and there’s nothing else to lose

i don’t ask what you’re chasing

i’ve learned how that goes

questions don’t change direction

they just open holes

you call it luck

i call it delay

we both learn silence

different ways

i watch you in cash tabs

like it’s nothing at all

small light in a dark room

that never turns off

and i don’t say i’m worried

i just stay where i am

while you keep betting

on whatever you can

there’s a rhythm to it now

that i can’t interrupt

like your hands already decided

before the thought catches up

you laugh when you lose again

like it’s part of the game

but i’ve started noticing

you don’t really sound the same

it’s not falling

if it’s slow

it’s not leaving

if you don’t know

i watch you in cash tabs

like a habit i’ve learned

the screen in your face

while the room doesn’t turn

and i don’t call it danger

i don’t call it pain

just the way something changes

and stays the same

i keep thinking there’ll be a moment

where it clicks into place

but it’s only ever numbers

and your tired face

i watch you in cash tabs

and i don’t move away

like if i stay quiet enough

it might behave

but it doesn’t get lighter

it doesn’t unwind

it just keeps taking small pieces

of time

you say it’s under control

and i let it be true

for tonight