so many flavours of dispair

as many as causes

metallic in unshed tears

freezing in blackened silver fillings

a sledgehammer

in your third eye

claws clenching your gut

bile and blood

and stomach acid

rising

the chocolate-colored

shoeleather tongue

of waiting to die

muscle tone gone

the crulest taste

tongue-curdling

the pink bubble gum

of pretending

nothing happened