you are feeling a moment so sharp that
blood starts to swell up in your mouth.
a palm to the nose, a broken heart so vivid.
the dashboard of the car greeting your face.
the seatbelt grasping on your body.
an all copper taste, pennies against your tongue.
the neighborhood boys take turns socking you in the stomach.
stumbling out across your chest.
tongue burning up at the taste,
you are keeled over in the hive-inducing grass.
but their fists keep swinging.
strung out like a rag doll,
the love of your short life is collapsed on the couch.
his eyes are glazed over,
his smile lighter. lighters
keep getting passed around.
your teeth jutting out at all the wrong angles.
teeth too big for your mouth,
brushing awkwardly against your tongue.
cracked lips, he wets his and it’s all downhill from there.
in a moment, it becomes freudian mouths exploring.