Worth Two In The Bush

She left the hospital
her nose tube dragging behind her
like some sort of pathetic leash

she couldn’t take the build-up
of her words
they circled around and around
pressing against her eyeballs
(they bulged out, straining)
and pushing hard against
her cracked scarred lips

only a grunt came out
and we looked at her
pitying
poor thing
poor animal

But her words were piling up
growing out through her yellow nails
her graying hair

she didn’t get far
and we found her
a terrible cold smile
she was
breathless on the pavement
there were feathers in her clenched fist
(she had finally
let them go)