so carefully i take this pill
that leaves a leprous streak down my tongue
and on the tip of my finger
a pale chalky stain
that clings to my skin
like the scent from the dirt
crushed beneath my toes and manages
to remind me of death and life
at the same eclipsed moment
like this grey lump that scratches
its way down my throat like fingernails
leaving long red streaks until
like a rock
it hits my stomach and explodes
into a thousand sounds that bounce
bend and break against my hidden flesh
like reflected light dropped suddenly into a cave
and all the world comes alive
this is what i do
mouthful by mouthful swallowing these scraps of verse
hoping at some point they will reverse
the effect of this heartburn
that i've been fighting since your return
you gave it back with a receipt
and no apparent damages
a heart turned back into itself
burns inside this ribcage
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