bound the chest
the pressure lays thick
on heart and lungs
deafening the inner drum
and whaling wind
so short the beat and breath
so shallow
so savored
so lined with regrets
inhaled in cigarettes
sipped in whiskey dreams
the elusive realizations
that sail their ships strictly on inebriation
these demons twist their tails
around rib cage and spine
hissing the constrictor's song
in their all too known embrace
within the empty face
that looks up from soiled water
gasping for the words to say
and the heart to say them with
