Fading

fading

scarlet poker words

jabbing,

scorching skin—

so delicate—

leaving imprints of

shame,

drowning in

darkness

it swirls around me,

circling my neck, this

viscous liquid is,

filling my lungs.

I splutter

and choke

on memories;

specks of history

spew out

as I cough,

leaving inside a

malignant pneumonia,

fragments of thoughts

poisoned by

him

“there there, good girl

hold your tongue, good girl,”

words invade my

personal space

I am cut,

bleeding out

growing weaker,

fading fast

longing to

completely

d      i

s

a

p

p

e

a

r