Honey drips down my throat
My stomach revolts
Gaggles of words threaten to escape
I choke on their outbursts
And swallow their ghosts
And yet, with bated breath they wait

So I still my thoughts
And hold my tongue
Between my teeth
Now my tongue is stung –
I file my teeth night and day
Stained red as they often get

I know if I let go
I’ll glut like an addict
And gut sanity
So I hold it in and rage
Against my outrageous vanity

Because when I slip
I slide
I really cannot hide –
I’m sugar and spite
And everything with a bite

– Akanksha Gupta