Secrets

Secrets are tiny snakes
That live deep in your belly
And gnaw at your insides
Until the pain is too great,
Then make their escape.

At night, the secrets slither out
Through your eyes, your ears
Through every pore
Taking captive the quiet room
As they hunger in the dark.

As you lie frozen in your bed,
The slithering secrets surround you.
And when you try to reach out and touch
The love that lies beside you,
The secrets chew on your fingers
Until you cannot feel.

When the long night is finally over
And the morning light creeps in,
The secrets slither back inside
So you can feed them, hide them,
Shelter them and be consumed by them
For yet another day.

And as these secrets age and grow
They eat your heart with razor teeth,
And then consume your soul.
But they don’t devour your tortured mind
For they want you to remember
The empty shell they’ve left behind.