have you ever tasted thine own
tongue?
i’ve bitten mine so many times
i’m practically as magic as mary
sarah winifred but rather than
possessing the ability to sew my
lover’s lips with a hindering spell-
crafted stitch, the bastard sealed
mine shut up tight with his hexing
high-horsed
hocus pocus
gaslight gaslight
jargon.
and while outside my home i’m known
for letting this same tongue of mine
roam about unleashed with defenses
for the meek and am oftenly referred
to as a toil and trouble type of bitch,
never letting evil banter slither past
unchecked — within the walls of mine
own home i so often stand so soundly
silenced, subsisting through his slashings —
my tongue bitten to batch of bits which roll
around inside my mouth until it’s safe to spit
without the risk of conjuring up his peak
malicious wrath.
i often choose to choke.
‘tis less tormenting.
Oakley Ayden (she/her) is an autistic, queer writer and social justice activist with North Carolina roots. She currently lives and works in California’s San Bernardino National Forest with her two daughters.
The Cabinet of Heed 