Silence claws at my mouth, ragged nails leaving ugly gashes, red
draining from my lips and dripping down my chin. It
crawls down my throat, gnawing at my vocal cords
with teeth sharpened over the course of years,
ground to wicked points that leave nothing
intact. Its job done, the demon
settles in my lungs, suffocating
me while I fail
to manage any
sound at
all.