DAGGERS

By Roseline Mgbodichinma Anya Okorie

Stress warning: The following contains material relating to mental health struggles and trauma in no particular order, which may be triggering to victims and survivors

I bite my lip
till I can taste copper
 
                  My teeth are tiny fences
barricading my throat,
Stopping liquid from
flowing into my gullet
 
                     I never knew
I could form a graveyard in my mouth,
That I could speak
with my tongue buried in questions 

​ 
              If time heals all wounds
Why does grief have a bitter aftertaste?
 
                  The only special thing
about razors is the ability
to draw patterns on skin,
Lines & puzzles gleaming in red
 
              I don't think loss can be forgotten,
It turns into black & blends with the gum
It resurfaces when it's time to speak about love
 
I bite into flesh, digging for answers
I tease my body with daggers
                        & cleanse it with spirit
 
I will sew my mouth
I will suck on my teeth
 
                 Anybody can be swallowed
Anybody can be bone in the gullet -
Poking the ears for an escape
 
Anybody can survive this,
                             Except me