When his name starts to taste like your blood,
Stop forcing your voice to form it
And don’t you dare push it through your lips.
When his eyes start to feel like knives,
And making contact with them feels like blades in your back,
Keep your head down when he walks past.
When his skin starts feeling like sandpaper,
And you’re already smooth,
Pull your sleeves over your hands and pull away.
When his voice starts to sound like emergency siren,
Cover your ears,
And walk away from the disaster.