I turned all the lights off
slept until the clouds went away
and waited for them to call me coward

When they called me coward I bit down
dragged my spine into my mouth
and replaced my teeth with stronger bone

Filed each vertebrae
so the razored edges cut my tongue
and filled my mouth with blood

I could taste wine
that made me dream of the Spanish sea
where she told me the sky looked like a hanging man

I couldn’t understand but smiled
and let the rushing sound remind me
of her sleep

The rhythm lulled me back to dream
of the fortress I climbed where the rain
filled my mouth

‘Til the salt cut my gums
and painted my breath a seaside postcard
with each exhale a promenade light

So when I woke I tasted gingerly
and counted the clouds like sheep
until they made recognisable figures