it starts with a word
that lies on my tongue
sinks through my pores
and fills up my lungs

the more i fight it
the heavier it gets
until letters fee like stones pressing down
on my chest

i exhale then
my breath black with ink
pry my lips in two
let it dribble on a sheet

it unfolds itself
maps out my insides
heavy lines cut into parchment
to makes sense of detachment
and these walls i won’t climb

that’s all it is
a little breathing and living
how i fill up my diaries
but not the world i live in

-KH