--- flayed

 This is --- 

 

--- flayed

 

   This is my hand.

   This is a whip.

   I am holding it. 

 

This is the whip in my hand.

This is --- the tongues of the whip

                  the leather of the tongues

                     the edge of the leather

                        the lick of the edge

                           the bite of the lick

                              the cut of the bite

                                 the wound of the cut

                                    the red of the wound

                                       the pain of the red

                                          the cries of the pain

                                             the voice of the cries

                                                the lies of your voice

                                                   the guilt of your lies

                                                      the silence of your guilt

                                                         --- flayed.

 

            These are your lies

            & this is your silence

            & this is your guilt --- flayed.

  

   This is my hand.

   This is a whip.

   I am holding it. 

 

This is the whip in my hand.

This is --- my tongue in my mouth

                    the words on my tongue

                       the truth in my voice

                          the sound of your deeds

                             the slap of your blows

                                the facts of your evil

                                   the wrongs of your oaths

                                      the moans of your guilt

                                         --- flayed.

 

            These are your lies

            & this is your silence

            & this is your guilt --- flayed. 

 

This is --- me talking.

This is --- me talking & talking & talking. 

This is --- me talking & talking & I am telling everything & I am scourging your secrets & I am sounding your lies & I am bringing light to your dark acts & memory to your cruelties & pain to what you buried & witness to what you stole & still I am talking and the words gather heavy & in the air thick & they fall in piles of tortured forms & still I am talking & now shapes become landscapes & facts of your deeds are etched & jagged there like wounds for all to see & hear & know & still I am talking & telling everything & these are your lies & this is your silence & this is your guilt --- flayed.

 

   &

 

This is --- me telling you who I am what I do what I say how they knew what they do about us about you how it’s true about me what I say what I do how they know what they know & why it is true & why when I speak they won’t listen to you.

  

   This is my hand.

   This is a whip.

   I am holding it. 

 

This is the whip in my hand.

This is --- the truth in my mouth

                  this is me telling you

                     who I am what I do

                         & why it is true

                            & why when I speak

                               they won’t listen to you:

                                  --- I am heard

                                    --- I am known

                                      --- I am respected

                                        --- I am trusted

                                          --- I am valued

                                            --- I am loved

                                              --- I am safe

                                                --- I am believed

 

--- I am believed & I am believed & I am believed & I am believed

 

            These are your lies

            & this is your silence

            & this is your guilt --- flayed. 

 

   This is my hand.

   This is a whip --- &

   I am holding it.