imagine a calloused doubt. cracked, chipped, clicking like warped wooden floorboards. soft from overuse but still overrides willpower in one palpitating breath. grimy yet illusive like your teeth after a day’s work, collecting gunk that sidles up to calcium companions, crunching down on things that become so bland in the end. doubt is offbeat, monstrous footsteps hidden deep off beaten paths, its thudding is clammy and hurried, aligned to the discordant jazz of your alarmed body. it tastes like coppery heartbeats, rising bile, salt and mucus in the back of your throat. it is a truly uncomfortable thing. it stacks sweetly like buttercream pancakes but crumbles you with such a sour taste on your tongue. imagine an agony that loves you.