RancidToxicity

Breathe viscous black in, Lungs stain with inky permanence, Life is a whirlwind, Thoughts zoom in silence, Like muted cars on an endless freeway. Compressed irises burrow into the white abyss, Counting every cracked crevice, Judgmental eyes plaster themselves on yellowing walls They splinter, denying her service. "Is this all?" She murmurs breathily, The bed groans, sticking to privileged skin, Silence rings, like a malfunctioning EKG machine, It pitches, her eardrums tremble. Life is a whirlwind, she repeats in her mind, Breathe viscous black in, Blood rushes through thinned veins, For one sweet moment the world stills. She stands at the

Trapped in a Bell Jar, Freedom. A breath away, A soul, explosive gun powder, Burns my chest alive. ‘Free Me,’ it bellows. An ultimatum, Trapped in a Bell Jar, Denial clogs my esophagus Locking my tongue to the roof Of my wordless dry mouth. A soul, vehement fire, Locks my tongue to The beat of a paralyzed sound, Freedom lies beyond transparency. My clammy hands caress My indifferent glass prison. “Free Me,” I word but do not whisper.

In a moment of clarity The world opened bulbous arms, Salty oceans dispersed beneath my feet, Blaring heavens split with thunderous appeal. In a moment of clarity Salty oceans dispersed beneath my feet, Piercing coyote yowls corroded my Fleshy lungs, a cherry popped. In a moment of Clarity The world opened bulbous arms, I spun once, twice, did it not take three? A cherry popped, bathing me scarlet. In a Moment of Clarity Blaring heavens split with thunderous appeal Your lips swallowed mine and stole Words spoken from lips stained with prayer.

Sapphire specks tether to my eyes As clockwork cogs Turn another revolution, Pervasive bronze circles Clang away with every exhale. Steely silver pillages my eyes Clockwork cogs Twist another revolution Gold circles, rotund like the sun Whimper wheezily with every inhale. Sapphire dazzles my tongue, Clockwork cogs Twist another revolution The gong plugs porous ears Sown eyes flicker, crimson thread rips through flesh Bass cracks ceramic cheeks Clockwork cogs Turn another revolution.

Squeezed in a box of Sand, Every corner drowns, Choking claustrophobia Corrodes his veins; clay Rusts on bitter iron. Hysteria rots the bulge, Pealing laughter plights His lips, Boisterous pain mutes sonorously. Above, Irony mocks toothily, Hanging pale silk curtains Kiss his cracked forehead, Imbibing serrated brows, Purging the waves of time.

I tumble on rubbery legs Drunk on the world. Exuberant stars dangle from my ears, Fiery pendulums Brushing red boils across my skin. I fancy myself a Queen among women, Traipsing coquettishly, a conqueror Over uneven streets. The impetuous sun Spins at the touch Of my fingertips. Heat clasps my ankles Slithers up bronze legs Seeks what man cowers from. Brittle wings are swallowed by hates' maw, A blue whale grasping for satiety, Feathers coil and wither, Papery parchment crumbles over the Aegean sea. Translucent, mocking, the sky plummets Scatters like diamonds Beneath the celestial sphere. My heart consists of Withered orchid petals

I slink on the boat To the river Styx, Charon cackles, bobbing his head, Coal waters pull us away. “Short lived,” my guide rasps. Yellow-Jackets buzz Pincers implant themselves in my iris, My eyes pop like turquoise cherries. Eyeless ruts breathe out dust, My lips part, I vomit moths. Look lavender eyes. My chest cracks open Rickety doors on rusted hinges.

My head floats In a cotton ball The way Lilly pads Travel over a pond's surface. You tell me—with lips drawn down "Pay attention, you always do this." In a haze I nod and tap My twice chewed-over lips. My head floats In a cotton ball Slack. A sloth on a branch.

A soft breeze rustled the dried golden leaves around Emily's shoes. Her dark curls brushed over her eyes, tickling her cheeks. In irritation she swatted it away with her small pale hand. "Emily! Make sure to come back before five!" Her mother's high-pitched voice stabbed into Emily's ears and made her cringe. "Yeah, I got it mom! Sheesh, I'm twelve already," she added under her breath as she continued her walk away from the small encampment behind her. The smell of roasted hot-dogs still lingered in the air, clinging to her nostrils enticingly, but she'd had her fill. No more hot-dogs today. When she reached the trees up ahead her radi