speak to me in your heart's voice
the words are your blood
your home, your first love;

the way the words come to life
in the rushing of breath against wind
voice stolen by the air,
mouths open into emptiness.

as bodies on the earth take root
their tongues shape the sounds
of their surrounding colors;

when home is turned to hate,
the air stealing voice and
replacing love with wounds

and bodies traverse the earth again
searching for safety, for a voice
to flow from the breath in their lungs

there is a cheapening of words;
tongues take the shape of fear
replacing the first love with a shade

still words, still voice but not the same.