The Metal Cough
by Maya Boone
· 05/02/2026
Published 05/02/2026 14:53
The quiet presses in,
a thick blanket I can't shake.
Then, after hours of nothing,
a sharp, metallic BANG.
Like a shot fired,
a claim staked in the dark.
The pipes hiss,
a breath held too long.
This old heat,
a sickness in the walls.
It rattles,
a loose tooth in the jaw of the night.
I listen,
waiting for the next choke.