At five years

I cannot consent to swallow your love cold—
down my throat you pour, I choke.
At five years we left your stranglehold.

From you, my childhood was pigeonholed,
left alone, you couldn’t phone despite us being kinfolk.
I cannot consent to swallow your love cold.

At nine I suffered from your mould.
Ten I counseled once again, heartbroke
that at five years we left your stranglehold.

As a child, I was too young and couldn’t be told
how to recover from your garrote.
I cannot consent to swallow your love cold.

The memories of you I tried to remove sevenfold
but time made it harder to revoke
that at five years we left your stranglehold.

At nineteen you tried to join my handhold
but to the fact I finally awoke,
that I cannot consent to swallow your love cold.
After all these years I left your stranglehold.