Heads Or Tails

There are cracks in this world too deep

for voices to escape from.

You know this.

Your toes curl around the edges of them,

you’ve clung to the sides of them.

Fingers scoured on the cliff faces twisted into snarls

with your cheek pressed against narrow eyes

who know this is not your place

is not your time.

They have peered beneath the flesh,

found the truth of you.

That you are not of first quality

but of the seconds shop.

Discount product to be discounted

when you open your mouth

because the words will always be cheap,

cracked, broken, and miss-formed.

This facade is ceramics,

fired too hot at the beginning,

brittle now in the middle,

unstable near the end.

You will leave nothing but dust

and hollow sounds in your wake.

 

In your mouth there are earthquakes

disguised as whispers.

I can see you cowering

each time the world trembles

at your tongue,

convinced their shudders

are the warning shots

before the roar of disapproval,

instead of a thunder

that comes with applause

so deafening the crowd screams

until the sky’s ceiling shatters into pieces

and the atmosphere is alight with fire

so bright we can see everything

in colours you have painted

while you prayed we wouldn’t look

at canvases you tried to shield,

believing they were not worthy

or every breath inside this room.

You cannot see the depth

your echo leaves upon this world.

---

Day Two’s prompt was to write a poem that plays with voices and this was the second poem I’ve written today that tries to hit that mark. The first was nowhere close, this one isn’t much better in my opinion but it’s as close as I’m going to get. I really hope some of you lovely readers like it.