Friday, June 12, 2020

mine and yours: lips




mine and yours: lips

time comes maybe 
that you've drawn
your lips completely 

in and kept them constricted
as when you've been given  
some terminal news:

the genetic polyneuropathy's stay
is day and night or the loco-
motive's come up the hill

and split your father near
in two and completely 
from your gauze

of wounds suppose you had to 
go on living if you
knew you knew you knew

you could've done something
about it and you let 
the minute slip by inside

those lips.  and listen:
time was early on 
you'd lean in to kiss 

that what have you 
just lost and all of what's made them
red and fat and caress

-able is jaded in day in day out
pain  they've turned tooth 
and gum/chum and ache

that way and stay turned in, 
toward the one tooth or two
that's left and the tongue 

and the words done and un-
done on it as if those teeth
is a keep and will keep 

and keeping them kept 
will expect life from here
on out to ache like a sonofabitch

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