Bearing Down (A Pandemic)

By R. Cary

Bearing down, I grasp the clinch of my jaw

Harder, compression is my only goal

I know it is there, outside, just waiting

Waiting for me to move, just one twitch and…

Sweat pouring down my head, dropping beneath my chin

I clinch harder, only my heart moves in palpitations

My eyes, just blinking, silently, not a moment of noise

Silence is my only hope, I grab the needle

Threading it through my bottom lip

One stitch at a time, my voice is sewn shut

Breathing, it can hear me breath; it’s there, waiting

One nostril at a time, I weave the thread

There, not a sound, it will never get me

The whites of my eyes widen, now I can see

It will never get me, my breath will not betray me

Silence is my only hope, silence is how I am free

End

Bearing Down (A Pandemic)

By R. Cary

Copyright 2023