My name
on my tongue
anticipation
of two sweet
syllables
the edgy bounce
of J
promising a leap
into a luscious
vowel
then stopping
and waiting
tugging on my teeth
pushing my tongue
upwards
jumping down
my throat
and lodging---
2.
They ran
in circles
when I tried to speak;
my mother
covering
her ears
my brother
fleeing to his
room
and slamming
the door
cats with their
backs arched
Only my father
sat still
in his chair
waiting
to see
if the knife
he used to slice
my words
in half
was lodged
securely
3.
There were people
who tried
copyrighted and added with permission of the author
April 23, 1999