Choking on Words

I’m choking on words

I should have never thought of—

the kind that burn going down

and linger in the chest

long after the moment’s gone.

I’ve swallowed too many truths

just to keep the peace,

bit my tongue until it bled

trying not to say your name.

Some thoughts were never meant to be spoken,

but they still echo—

hollow and loud,

like ghosts in an empty room.

If you could see inside my mind,

you’d find all the things

I wish I’d never felt—

and all the things

I still do.

So I breathe around the ache,

let silence become my apology.

Some words destroy when spoken,

others destroy when kept.

Either way,

I’m still choking.