The Vault Keeper

Despite my decision to be keeper of this vault,
This thing we birthed in secret
Has clasped its fingers around my throat
Clawed its way through my heart
Chomped into teeth into my spine
Created a gnawing hole inside me so deep
That I am loath to replete.
The panic pumps my blood too quickly
Arrests my soul too suddenly
Cripples my limbs too cruelly…
My resistance weakens, the thing
Expands… expounds… explodes!
Its vice grip creeps around my neck
Its dead weight presses into my back;
‘Tis too much.
Too much to bear
Too much to witness
Too much to feel.
But I chose to be keeper of this vault
I chose this
I chose you…
And
My lips tighten
My teeth bear down…
Alas
I dare not speak.