This is
an estimate
of size:
to say
as large as or
as wide as
then to
bring in
a vast noun
such as
sun or ocean or
human love
and say this
is as large as
that
This is
an estimate
of intensity:
to say
razor or
hammer or vise
then to
speak of
a body part
and offer
a contradiction
such as
a chest squeezed
softly until agony
became a bed
This is how
to speak
of pain:
to say one feels
as would
a red giant star
warming slowly
to full scorch
just as one might describe
how it feels when
a vise is tightened
quarter turn at
a time until
jaws meet
through pinched skin
as thick
screams
ensue
to offer comparisons
until one’s head
cannot hold them
this is how
to write about
a sickness
that will never
let go
until one reaches
a place
beyond
comparisons:
an estimate of After
