not a word

Looming over your shoulders

Each stack higher than its former

Every thought and every scrap

Of an idea too scared to ponder

Every moment that hurt

Each minute that lingered longer

How do I push the words out
From behind my taffy tongue 
Thick with salty tears 
And full of grubby thumb 


I’m a child 
Pretending that I’m numb 
To escape the overwhelming feelings