break the seal:
pull back, twisting the knife.
pull back, words too fast.
pull back like there’s no stains
in the carpet, on the walls, on my skin.
pull back, no shimmer in the eyes.

retreat like dying armies
into shadows, deep unknown;
creatures with sharp teeth
speaking soft words
that wrap around my throat
like unbroken plastic seals.
pull back, pull back, pull back.