Swallow them down
Lumps of coal leaving dust in my throat
Cough once
Cough twice
Spit out black coal dust
Brush my teeth

In my chest
Or sometimes my stomach
The pressure builds

When I *****
And my stomach wretches
And my heart seizes

They'll climb back up my esophagus
Edges sharpened
Reflecting crimson gore
From the paths they cut as they came back out

If coal can turn into diamonds
Can my "self restraint"
Turn a bitten tongue into silver?

I cut my voice on diamonds
They looked like rubies when I spit them out