why’d hurt come from birth,
why’s it bound to the barrel of north.
dashing in and out of the blue—
where was your heart then,
what is it to you.

speedways, speedways—
all I ever chased,
but I never met that one pace.

I unspool the silence,
shed the smallness
in my head.

I take it all in,
let my voice swell—
and no longer ask
permission to exit the room.