i feel
desperate
to talk
but my jaw
is wired shut
and everything
i say
isn’t nearly
meaningful enough
for anyone
to waste
time on

so it
just builds up
and i sit
frustrated
my tongue
weighing
a ton
as i sink
deeper into
these tears
begging for scraps
with the eyes of
a feral mutt
dreaming of
being enougn

you can count
the number of things
i have asked for
on one hand
and still have
fingers remaining
and with the same hand
balled into a fist
accurately represent
with a series of
crushing blows
the harvest of my
winsome pleas

so i stay
churchmouse quiet
rather than
debase myself
any further
curling it all up
so tightly
the only one
the words injure
is the only one
that doesn’t matter
as it should be