One of you will have felt this,
the fear after sharing
that comes like a rattling ore car
through the body,
shaking the weak timbers.
The teeth knock atrociously,
like an old typewriter gone mad,
giving cacophonous voice
to the trembling.
Hiding does not help
and nor does more exposure;
it’s a movement of the long-ignored body
that needs to quake.
The only mild comfort I can offer
is the physical fact
that teeth can’t chatter
when the mouth is open wide.