By Ruth Cowell
Sharp words spit from your lips And litter the floor Pointed rusty nails That bury themselves in my feet
That burrow their way into my bloodstream And follow my pulse around my body Is that why I can taste metal in my mouth?
They claw at the lining of my lungs Tearing through my gut ‘til I crumple and fold A paper doll bent double in agony
They splinter and scream inside my skull Ricocheting, reducing sight to pinpricks and needlepoints
‘Til they hammer themselves firmly into the sides Of each chamber of my heart And blood starts to weep from the walls My blood
That’s my
Blood
Drip drip
I know it sounds strange but I think I am being drowned from the inside out, not the outside in
Drip drip
How do you stop yourself drowning in your own desperation
Drip drip
Do you tear yourself apart Piece by piece, Not caring how far the floodwater might reach?
My life has turned to twisted water torture But with every drip by drip I realise Bit by bit That you are not a lover
You are a leech.