I know there is a claw through the tip of my tongue,
I can taste the red hot
Orange rust
Bicycle wheels
Pooling in the cavern of my gums,
I think the cat must have gotten it (He’s
Been chasing it for a while now, I
See splinters in his paws, I
Admire his effort)
And it is far too hard to speak.

If I could speak, I’d tell you I love you.

It would fall from my lips like flower petals
Stripped of their thorny stems
And land in your pink palms,
Pressed to your lips
It would melt down your throat
Butter soft and bright (You
Told me yellow was your favorite color, I
See it when I hear your name, you
Egg-Yolk-Sunshine Sweet of mine)
And it would taste like champagne.

If I could speak, I’d tell you you’re beautiful.

The words would slip out like teardrops
And burst into halls of mirrors
Blue eyes
Exotic oceans
Without the warp of reflection,
No depth has ever seemed so warm (I
Am reminded of a statue from a book, you
Tell me you hate religious metaphor but, you
Are the Christ of the Abyss)
And I would strip my scuba gear to feel you.

If I could speak, I’d tell you I need you.

Like a thousand drums the words would tumble
Unimaginable clamoring
Cacophony defined
A hurricane of broken brass to your feet,
But for some reason
It would sound like a symphony (You
Showed me music I thought I’d hate, You
Told me what was beautiful about it, I
Found your excitement the most beautiful part)
And the critics would cry at it’s delicacy.

If I could speak, I’d tell you not to leave me.

The words would slide between us
Like the heavy top of a glass table
Blurred bodies
Shaking with a fear
That tastes like every kiss they’ve ever shared,
And there would be no claw through my tongue (You
Don’t want to hear me say it, I
Always hate to cause you pain but, we
Should have never had to say goodbye)
And the cat would run away with his tail between his legs.