“You’ve never been much of a talker”
Thank you for sparing me the shame
Because every time I try to speak
The attempt deforms my face

You see, it’s not very pretty

You shoved these words into my mouth
And now they keep on dripping over the sides
I try to wipe them with my sleeves
It sticks like filth to my cheeks

I’ve got this pile of identities
But I like the one you gave me best
I guess I’ll keep it as a souvenir
While I get rid of all the rest

You shoved these words into my mouth
And I chewed them down then spit them out
Like bite-sized syllables with a lack of meaning

You shove these words into my mouth
And I keep on chewing until they sound
A bit more like mine

It never speaks
And if it speaks
It speaks in fear

“You’ve never been much of a talker”
Thank you for sparing me the shame
Because every time I try to speak
The attempt deforms my face

You shoved these words into my mouth
And I chewed them down then spit them out
Like bite-sized syllables with a lack of meaning

You shove these words into my mouth
And I keep on chewing until they sound
A bit more like mine

It never speaks
And if it speaks
It speaks in fear