That Night It Said — Summary

lakewritingInspired

Last night I had no eyes And I grew ten claws It is probably because I am not myself most of the time

That night it said, "I love you. I love you." I am not sure if I said it back Because I was dreaming And you never know with dreams

The day before a million fruit flies crawled out Of my mouth Probably Because I was not myself Or maybe I just love fruit too much That was a joke

That day he said, "Kill your self." And it said, "Shut up." I never considered killing myself anyway But I appreciated the sentiment Of fighting back

Today I have two eyes And ten fingernails that need to be trimmed Probably because I am myself But it is okay if I am not Because I appreciate the sentiment Of fighting back

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The speaker describes strange, dreamlike changes: losing eyes, growing claws, and coughing up a million fruit flies. Each time, they shrug it off with "probably because I am not myself." That casual tone is the poem's trick. The body feels unreliable and the self feels unstable, but the speaker treats it almost like a weather report, even cracking a joke about loving fruit too much.

Beneath the dry humor, something darker appears. A voice says "Kill your self," and another voice, called "it," answers "Shut up." The speaker says they never considered suicide, yet they appreciate that something inside them fights back. That phrase returns in the last stanza, now with calm acceptance. The speaker is back to two eyes and ten fingernails, but being "myself" or not no longer matters so much.

The mood is odd, wry, and quietly tender. It suggests that feeling like a stranger to yourself can be survived, and even met with gentle humor.

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