last night i woke up with a chinchilla in my throat—

its silky coat bathing in my nasal drip,

dropping a shit in the pit of my gastrointestinal tract

a turd on the loose in my fragile body!

i tried a swig of Pepto-Bismol,

but that just made me feel abysmal.

a dark abyss & lighter fluid;

i’d set myself on fire to avoid this hairy death

last night i woke up with your arm around my waist and a chinchilla in my throat

and i couldn’t help but wonder if i left my jaw loose or if you crammed the rat in.

your shallow breath on my neck, in that moment i did not care.

safe in your arms & choking on rodent hair.

#poetry

Ivy climbs the walls of my room, following the path that I choose

a destination ever-changing, always growing

left to the whims of an indecisive mind

I snake the woody vines through my nostrils

They tickle my nose hairs and wind their way upwards

trying to find some light in the darkness of my psyche

Ivy climbs the walls of my mind

wrapping tightly around my amygdala

an attempt to suffocate a fear that lingers

I sneeze (ACHOO!) and brown-tipped leaves tumble out

pouring from my mouth, I try to stuff them back in

but it is too late

Wilted vines climb out of my mouth and onto the wooden floor

a heap of dead invasive species covered in mucus

I weave the vines into a wet crown and place them on my head