you know those times
when
you want to say
something
but the words
freeze
in your throat
your tongue
trapped behind
traitorous teeth
your breath
constricted
as your ribs tighten
into a vise

i feel
declarations
pile up
beneath my tongue
as my brain
urgently hits
the panic button
cutting off
any and all
access from
heart to mouth

the fool
feels his heart
hammer
behind the duct tape
restrained
with coarse
rope
as his tongue
stays
mercifully silent