stomach acid
Free Verse Poem
i feel it, it’s there! it’s as if i reached
my hand deep into the toilet after use
to retrieve the guts i spilled,
i pushed too hard, and
when i stood up, looking down into the bowl,
crimson red, sacks of blood just sitting there, spreading through water, eating itself, sprouting, flowering,
then relaxing as my fingers go in
there, eyes closed, disturb it with intention,
with no sound, what a feeling!
slime, flesh, water. dirt,
won’t wash off my skin, inciting criticism,
adding insecurity after insecurity, i can’t touch anything else until it leaves.
my hands tainted, permanently scarlet,
pink, glossy like they never left the bathroom.
years later now, and my hands
and arms are as clean
as i could get them. scrubbed my body red and raw,
something only i see won’t go away unless i lose my vision.
