{"id":3590,"date":"2018-05-11T22:09:04","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T22:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/translatingpain\/?p=3590"},"modified":"2018-05-11T22:09:04","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T22:09:04","slug":"night-sweats-by-blair-james","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/night-sweats-by-blair-james\/","title":{"rendered":"‘NIGHT SWEATS’, by Blair James"},"content":{"rendered":"

you sit in my throat like a stone in shoe\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

eyes dry as bone. bones hurt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

why cry?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

these days that feel different but all so same.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

little belly wrenches all the time as though to be freed from something\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

tonsils i should rip them from my neck. daft neck\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

neck forever stiff\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

but why should neck feel at ease when i remain so needlessly static\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

lose my reasons every day\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

and think of new\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

you div\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ask yourself what time it is. what day\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

become like a teddy bear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

apples hurt my mouth but i still eat them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

how life is unfair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

why must i scratch my skin?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

not fair on you\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

to have everything\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

daffodils. i used to kick their heads off. weak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

it follows me round everywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

what\u2019s the point in being alive when you\u2019re dead\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

how can you sleep when you\u2019re wet\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

wet<\/span><\/p>\n