My Poetic Tongue

the clang of the ice cream trunk jingles rattles my teeth. I turn up the television and try to ignore the slurping sounds of the couple kissing. the lawnmower roars by the window and it trims at my nerves. the back to back bing of incoming phone calls with heavy machinery and traffic jam static. my ears riot for quiet but my upstairs neighborhoods turn on polka music to finish their…

Lay in bed for an extra hour and study gravity. The weight  of my bones pulls me to the floor. I think about when my body became concrete and I learn to drown in the open air. I don’t flail, but sink with each exhale.

Learn to be quiet in the corner. I watch the world spin and I keep still. Light moves in laughter and shadows come with sighs. The day bends people and I learn how to move around them. Keep myself in place when the world throws everything around.

Write a poem using the word Aggravation Write about saying goodbye Write about the state of your body at the moment Write about faking a smile Write about a bad day

Night agitates me. It brews beneath my skin and I want to wail sunlight. The darkness no longer holds me and I want to sleep all the time. I wish the static in my palms would fade and I could stand quietly in the middle of the room.

Practice my smile, and recite I am fine with such pitch that my lies sound excited. I perform, shuffling across the stage. If you dance and jump high, then people only focus on the black eyeliner and not the tears. The hours pull at my body, and exhaustion drapes on my shoulders. I bow at the end of my day, then fade behind the curtains. Disappearing, I melt into the shadows for…

The week tumbles over me with a handful of tacks. The days dig into my skin and I hobble back and forth. Each pointed situation pushes further and I grimace with each jab. Stress has teeth; tiny legos grinding into my feet. I learn to catch myself with Hallmark mantras  and recite them over and over. The little bits of hopes provide padding, so when I collapse I don’t break my bones.

He was gone before the last bird flew from the tree. The train pulled away and I watched him become a silhouette. His wave clung to the window, then slid into my tears. I felt myself shatter on the platform and held myself together, reciting his smile over and over again. It is hard saying goodbye to the best part of you. I hummed lullabies with his name on the way back to the…