Hell
Then the crying starts
Your knees pull up into your chest
The sobs wrench themselves from your lungs
Your body writhes where it collapsed on the floor
The pain starts in your belly...
A hot ball which radiates throughout your torso,
spreading down your arms and legs
It turns your fingers into claws
Grasping, tearing, soul-ripping claws
It surrounds your brain and squeezes
This makes the tears ooze
And then fall
Dripping into the carpet
Streaking your swiping fingers
This is not soul-cleansing
This is hell
13 March 1998