CW: domestic abuse, gaslighting

i misheard you, wrong i misheard you,

right, that isn’t a question i misheard

the, bedroom door, and i knew i

misheard something, important, i

wanted the door, i wanted to crack

open, the door i wanted to push the

frame ajar and not say, a word, refuse,

to speak and let my face blanche and

so i wait, i misheard you and so i wait,

knuckles tense, against the metal knob

my nails, scratching against i misheard,

you so i let my nails scratch against the

round silver knob, waiting, the lock a

lever, i can’t breach, though my nails

scratching, against the round silver

knob make my teeth hurt, did you

know that, my teeth hurt, when i hear

something touch, metal, did i tell you

that i hear, i misheard you, first so i’ll

stay quiet i’ll stay here, face pressed,

here is where i, misheard, did you, hear

me, that isn’t a question, i meant to, i

meant to stay, here, before i knew the

door knows, even my nails can’t

breach, the lever, i use one now, along

my nose, my nose is pressed, here is

pressed, misheard and i are pressed, i

press my thousands of noses, against

the wait the door, i wanted, to wait,

the lock a lever, on all fours, i wait on all

fours

Shannon Hearn is currently a PhD student in Poetry at Binghamton University. Their work has appeared or is forthcoming with 3:AM Magazine, cream city review, Fugue, Voicemail Poems, DIALOGIST, and others. She received her MFA in poetry from Queens College, and lives in Brooklyn.