Loknat-e Zabaan

somewhere along the way i bit my tongue and words became easy to swallow. i'm not sure when this happened. but it did. i've eaten too many words and now my belly is full.

ethnic girl
mistranslated
in undesired tongue

somewhere along the way i became tongue tied. words crashed against the sides of my mouth, sliding down my throat. flooding my belly.

this weight
heavy within
my stomach walls
stretched tight ready
to explode shame

when did i betray my tongue?

she told me when you have nothing left to guard, you guard your memories. you guard them with silence.

but what about the traumas? do you guard them too?

regurgitated words
trapped in my throat

tell me something good.