Gut Reaction
By Molly Knox
Courage of bearing those hidden aching words,
Which run deep in routes, deals, deeds. Of “unintended” essential intention.
.
Strewn together scrabble letters of the right words to utter, stretching behind
Shoulders. Traced through telling generations of gut reactions.
Uncertainty under dimly lit paths or living room red flags.
.
Words which feign shock but really define blurred fury,
Disgust. The untwisting of ink wails poisoned like century old sweets,
.
Rancid and swallowed, not chewed. Sticky,
Digested by some unlucky billions.
We swallow
.
The sour obvious contained in that tin. Heavy
Amongst the frills of the subtle and scary.
.
The fiery pits of it could have been me.
Confused to stop sounding selfish
To want safety. We hold an unmatched tender strength.
.
But across my heart I feel, once again,
A rotting, time-old agony for another
.
Her.
Illustration by Alexandra Baker
