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.