These are the demons
There are demons in the darkness of your eyes,
in the bruises underneath them
I look at you, but you cannot look at me
There are demons in the downward curl of your lips,
lounging on your tongue
All I hear when you speak is your broken glass voice,
tears lodged in your throat
There are demons in your heart
A family in each chamber
beat, beat, beating your whole body,
they pump tar into your veins
You breathe in so that they may take refuge in your lungs
Soon every inhale is a sob
And every exhale a prayer to a god you have never known
There are demons in the crevices of your mind,
the corners of your thoughts
You bash your skull against the brick of the wall
beat them out of your brain
But they love you too much to leave
There are demons in the pit of your stomach,
posing as butterflies
sipping acid
and ripping you apart
You beg me to hit you
unintelligible pleas
You rest my hand against your stomach
My fingers curl but do not offer the pain you need
You scream, I scream
My refusal is your soft hands wrapping around a knife
These are the demons
They are in your ears
whispering
promising relief
They bear their teeth as you bleed
Your body relaxes
You are where you need to be
The demons are your blood
forming an ocean around me