The Blood’s Blueprint

by Stntes · 07/11/2025
Published 07/11/2025 11:12

The words came out sharp and specifically mean,

a hook in the throat that I’ve heard once before.

It was my father’s cold logic, jagged and lean,

spilled on the floor by the passenger door.


I saw her face flinch in the green dash-light,

and I caught my own jaw in the mirror’s thin glass.

Clenched like a fist in the middle of the night,

watching the ghost of his cruelty pass.


I swore I would break every bone in the line

before I let the old venom leak out of my mouth.

But here is the blueprint, ancient and fine,

steering the car and my heart to the south.

#family violence #intergenerational trauma #toxic masculinity

24 likes · 9 comments

Comments

Nico · Mar 11, 2026

Catching your own jaw in the mirror is so scary and real.

Stntes · Mar 12, 2026

it really is. that realization hits so hard.

Nico · Mar 12, 2026

No kidding. I've felt that exact same clench before.

thirdshiftlina · Mar 12, 2026

That line about the green dash-light is a cool image.

anxiousmove · Mar 12, 2026

the part about how it was spilled on the floor by the car door is good.

Stntes · Mar 13, 2026

thank you. i feel like so many bad conversations happen in cars.

anxiousmove · Mar 13, 2026

yeah there’s literally nowhere to go when it starts getting heavy.

he8nix · Mar 15, 2026

the blueprint image in the last part is really heavy.

Stntes · Mar 15, 2026

yeah it definitely feels like a weight. thanks for reading.

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