And Then I Said...

    We encounter each other in words...

          —Elizabeth Alexander

syllables shouted in syncopated beats

short words answering  questions

words — elongated snakes across a page

sirens with high pitched voices

words —like kettle drums 

the gossip of words

we open ourselves in words

we hide words, retrieve them, taste them

let them be,  exchange them with others

twist them into knots

wear them as ornaments or amulets

savor their delicacy in love