November Poem of the Month

I'm starting a new tradition, inspired by my fellow Pennsylvania poet Barbara Crooker's website, of a "poem of the month." We'll see if this really does become a tradition! Meanwhile, here's one to start with. Commentary/critique is encouraged, even requested!


The Taste of Words

To R. L., who lost his hearing at the age of seven

I have almost forgot the taste of words. They slide
As thin as colors past my tongue like light
On eyes and eyelids, or shadows gliding by
Beneath their mirror clouds, cirrus slight,
Reflections twice reflected: once, like sight,
Shone smaller in your eyes, then back in mine:
So I speak ribbon words between my ears and mind,

But barely in my mouth. I should take time to round
My palate to their shapes, their moons and ponds
Of vowels; clench their sudden curtain sounds
In stifled yawns; and run my tongue along
The lone serration at the edge of speech: a long
Delicious lingering while words melt, smooth
And butter-sweet, oh, slowly, like the way a blue tune

Seems to haze the air its own shade, and almost flavour,
Smoky, transient, intangible. You inhale no melodies,
Alas; or is it sad, or does your mind find windless pleasure
In its lagoon depths, without clamour? No screams,
No enharmonic dissonance, just what you see
And what you say, and that formed solid in the dark
Architecture of your teeth & throat, if not built in your heart.

~ Sørina Higgins





"The Taste of Words" by Sørina Higgins is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. This means that you can copy and distribute the work if you will not receive any commercial gain; that you can use the work in a new creative way (song lyrics, dramatic production, visual display), again, if you receive no commercial gain; and any other use that does not make you any money--as long as you do not change any of the words of the original text. Also, the author would like to be notified of any uses of her poem. Thank you.