I\u2019m chewing white gum that\u2019s lost its flavor.
So, I try to spit it out.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, I grab it with my fingers to take it out of my mouth,
But it sticks like sap.
Clinging. Unrelenting. Ever expanding.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, I find the glob on my tongue, corner it between my tongue and the roof of my mouth,
And spit.<\/p>\n
No matter how hard I try to rid myself of it,\u00a0
Bits of sticky gum cling to my teeth.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, I get close to picking all of the gum particles
Out of my mouth,
But no matter how hard I try,\u00a0
The gum grows back.<\/p>\n
I find more of it, just the size of the original piece,
Hiding, regrowing in my mouth.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m never scared or worried that it\u2019ll choke me.
It\u2019s not terror I feel,\u00a0
But intense frustration.<\/p>\n
Each time I think I\u2019ve got it out,\u00a0
The chewing gum is really still there.
An illusion.<\/p>\n
Why can\u2019t I rid myself of it? Why does it taunt me?
What\u2019s wrong with me that it keeps coming back?<\/p>\n
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n
Your words leave a film in my mouth.<\/p>\n
I want to spit them back to you,
But they cling to me.<\/p>\n
I never get the comeback right.
So much I want to say,
But I can\u2019t form the words
Behind the film of anger that takes over.<\/p>\n
Frustration.
I should have responded this way or that.
Why\u00a0didn’t I think of that?<\/p>\n
Emotions take over and then,
It\u2019s the instinctual fight or flight.
Usually I fight.
Yesterday, I fled.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m so tired of trying to make my point.
You\u2019ll never learn.
You\u2019ll never listen.
So what\u2019s the point?<\/p>\n
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n
The only way to clear the gum is to wake up.
And realize that it was all a dream.
Wake up and the gum is magically gone.<\/p>\n
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n
Let me take your toxic words,
Chew them around into an unrecognizable,
Tasteless mass.
And spit them out to be picked up with the trash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m chewing white gum that\u2019s lost its flavor. So, I try to spit it out. Sometimes, I grab it with my fingers to take it out of my mouth,But it sticks like sap.Clinging. Unrelenting. Ever…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[57,68,33],"class_list":["post-306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-dreams","tag-power","tag-wwol"],"yoast_head":"\n