There are no ways to safeword out of this life. I know, I’ve tried them all. Elephant, apple, Alaska, amen. Tried screaming anything into the pillow my face is pushed down into, Whiskey, tango, foxtrot, stop Exhausted my vocabulary against the blanket my fists are balled into fists against, Anything to make the beatings stop But they just Keep Coming. In ****, having a safeword is like wearing a seatbelt. There are rules about having one And the ones who choose to do without Are taking risks. We are born without lifejackets, without seatbelts and safecut scissors Without breakaway glass or rubberized mats Without any way to make the world slow down Let us catch our breath, And jump back in. There are no hard limits in the real world. So we bite into our gags and wait for the session to end. Elephant, apple, Alaska, amen.