What I have to say
my mouth is clamped shut
I cannot write
because I cannot
hear what I have to say
frown lines appear
maddeningly quick
grey hairs streak tears
this cold voice
thwarted -endangered
the dusty crevice
of my mouth
is full of
dead bats
dying bees
afterwards
will I choke
on the powder of crushed moth wings?
8 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 18, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Scott
Very expressive of the frustration you are holding.
February 20, 2008 at 5:57 am
chicklegirl
Loved the last two stanzas, such vivid imagery!
February 20, 2008 at 3:16 pm
SweetTalkingGuy
I like it! It reminds me of when I was a kid, I said I couldn’t read once because I hurt my finger..
February 20, 2008 at 6:18 pm
flavormonkey
Excellent poetry. I agree that the last two stanzas are particularly well crafted. I find your choice to use “bats”, “bees”, and “moth wings” very interesting considering their symbolism when used to represent words and speaking.
February 20, 2008 at 9:14 pm
deb
Oh, well done. Really well done.
February 22, 2008 at 3:31 pm
birdsword
Thanks for all the thoughtful comments everyone, I appreciate it.
Roberta
February 24, 2008 at 7:37 am
Wenda
“I cannot write because I cannot hear what I have to say”- I like that!
I cannot hear what I have to say until I do write.
March 8, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Poetikat
Have you been reading Bram Stoker? Amazing images.
Kat