I give myself five days to forget you: On the first day I rust. On the second, I wilt. On the third day I sit with friends, but I think about your tongue. I clean my room on the fourth day. I clean my body on the fourth day. I try to replace your scent on the fourth day. The fifth day, I adorn myself like the mouth of an inmate. The Midas of cheap metal. I glow the way unwanted things do, A neon sign that reads; “Come, I will taste like someone else’s mouth.”
—Warsan Shire









