Is the copper taste of blood still coating every word I try? Did the ring upon his finger leave its signature across my eye? Can these fractured ribs remember how to draw a breath without the fire? Is the pavement still retaining heat from where my body chose to lie? Did the laughter in his throat cut deeper than the blows that landed? Will my voice find any strength to call before the fear has stranded? Is there any trace of dignity in how the rain has washed the sand? Can the darkness of this alley finally claim me where I stand? Will somebody answer when the questions start to stack? Will somebody answer before the answers push me back? Will somebody answer to this body on the ground? Will somebody answer so the silence doesn’t drown? Did his shadow fall without a warning like the night had given birth? Was the hunger in his demand the only language left on earth? Did I catch a glimpse of something human staring back from underneath? Or did the moment strip us both and leave us naked in our teeth? Is the void inside my pocket louder than the words I should have said? Will the version of this story that I tell tomorrow feel like lead? Can the hatred for his hands outweigh the shame inside my head? Did this beating just confirm the isolation that I’ve fed? Did his rage reflect the quiet wars I’ve waged against my name? Have the walls I built for safety only ever kept me in this frame? Is the distance between the victim and the one who swings the fist so slight? Will the honesty of being broken be the only thing that feels right? Will you pause your hurried footsteps and refuse to look away? Will your eyes meet mine without the judgment that the strong display? Will your hands be there to steady what the violence tried to steal? Will your presence be the answer that these questions try to feel? Will these questions still be burning when the first light starts to creep? Will the help I finally asked for be the secret that I keep? Is the power in this screaming what the silence tried to reap? Will somebody answer now before the final question sleeps?
