Chirping birds flood
Sylvia’s ears with sound like
the constant beat of a heart.
Crunch! Sylvia bites into an apple.
Sylvia’s ears sound like
a piece of challah bread or feel,
Sylvia bites down into the apple again,
like the letter A or number 5.
A piece of challah bread or the feel
of honey and wine on your lungs;
that is what He looked like
to Sylvia in a blue gingham dress.
Honey and wine on your lungs like
aspirated pneumonia and
Sylvia’s blue gingham dress;
these two do not match.
Aspirated pneumonia chokes
him like an invisible noose;
these two do not match,
or so he thinks: struggling to breathe.
Sylvia drops the dog leash
a visible noose
he thinks as he struggles to breathe
like an overexcited puppy.
A visible noose,
chirping birds flood,
an overexcited puppy,
Crunch! Sylvia bites into an apple.
Mhoir is a bipolar genderqueer poet based in Pennsylvania. They love most creating spaces where people can explore themselves. Follow them on Twitter @sadithine.