Hush
Can you see that choked scream growing?
It’s matured and almost ready
To claw its way out of my throat.
It’s rebelling and teaching my tongue
That swallowed words settle like lead in my stomach,
Like forgotten wishes on coins at the bottom of a well.
I’ve lived years in this silence,
But I’m teaching myself to speak again
Beyond suppressed emotions and strangled breaths.
You will find me climbing to rooftops
And taking up residence between shingles and metal.
You will find me gripping steel in soft hands
And hoping to absorb the strength through sweating palms.
You will find that scream still coiled and ready
To tear itself from my brimming lungs.
And when I see that glittering steel reflected behind my eyes
And hear my voice reverberate on the wind,
I want you to know that I’ve won.
I’ve escaped that strangling choke hold and found my voice again.