oh, it hurts to talk to me?
how much?
tell me, in ounces
tell me, how many breaths can you take
before your chest feels ragged?
how many days do you go without food?
how many nights do you lie awake?
when you see my face, do you taste blood
from your bitten tongue?
do your teeth ache from how tightly clenched
you have to keep them from spitting poison?
how far does someone have to push you
to make you cruel?
because my answers go like this
weightless
none
weeks and weeks
yes and yes
too far.