Secret

I was tuning each breath to the tick of a clock
When the words tumbled out of your mouth
Each letter dripping with syrup
Sticky and sweet.
In my ears they flew
Whipping around the twisted curves of my brain
Until recognition forced them to whiplash.
The pulp that was created began dripping down
The column of my spine.
Slowly it infected my heart
And brewed with what I already knew.
The awakening forced air into my lungs
And what I heard yesterday
Desired liberation.
“Don’t tell anyone,” she had whispered.
So I choked the twisted letters back down
Forcing submission with each swallow
The crooks and edges scraping the back of my throat
All of the way down to the tomb of my stomach
Where they will dissolve
And slowly become a part of me.