i've realized i'm not such a hollow thing
after all

in my gut, where i thought there was merely a hole
there is in fact a crow, with beating wings and piercing beak
that up to a point has remained asleep

in my chest, where i thought there was just an icy stone
there is in fact a clawing monster curled under my breastbone
that is no longer docile and rips into my lungs

in my hands, where i thought there was hardly numb tingling
there is in fact a inexplicably stuttering pulse
that has recently been so faint as to be imperceptible

in my head, where i thought there were only my own thoughts
there is in fact a choir of voices murmuring a lament
that even now rises as a tempest in my mind

h.f.m.