The Mouth You Gave Me

Before I speak to you,
breath crowds the dark
behind my teeth.
My tongue lifts,
finds its place,
waits.

I thought I could shape it
cleanly—
give air an edge,
weight it with my tongue,
send it to you
as something mine.

But the mouth closes
around what it means.
The tongue turns once,
as if listening.
Even these teeth
close on an edge
they never cut.

The word stops,
held at the root.
I try again.
Breath enters
without asking,
and the tongue falls
into a shape already worn.

The mouth opens.
What it has gathered
leaves on its own breath,
the word moving
toward you.

—

The Debt of Being Here · Series introduction · From the Workroom