the impurities

xxix. reduction

Stomachs full of nothing
Except rotten meat and chicken bones—
Splintering into needles—swallowed—
Lips numb and cracking,
A dry throat, swollen tongue
Licking at the air—
Starvation reducing everything
To rotten meat and hidden bones—
Bile burns through rib cages
Spilling out onto the ground
—Nothing more than nothing—inside—