Brown floral sofa
Late at night
Pillow grabbed
Television stays on
It’s really scratchy
And it’s really loud in a muffled way
But it would be louder with it off
Voices strangled a 10-year-old me
They stayed for such a long time
TV’s and radios muted everything
It was so hard to escape
Screaming, guilt, bruises
Wet faces, bloody noses
And a mind so wrecked
Waking up
A mouse in my shirt
A mouse crawling on my arm
Mice everywhere taking over the couch
Convincing myself, don’t scream
Don’t scream
They’re not there
But you are