Pin it shut.
Don’t I know these words will only be
Harsh, cruel, and unwieldy?
Hold it in.
When my chest starts to constrict
Can’t I sense
The building insolence?
Bring it down.
Can’t I see
The frustration I’ve hung
Up on center stage
Right above me?
Throw it out.
Haven’t I yet learned
The value of
Biting my tongue
And covering my mouth?
Exhale it now.
I know I can do better
Than to return to my own game,
Replay the same old show,
And cause the same damn pain.
Let it go;
So I don’t regret my choice,
Wish to quiet my own voice,
And spend this breath in vain.
–Written by Sandy Heights
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