Fear of the Sight of the Mouth
- Fear of the Sight of the Mouth
I articulate it so I tame itin my mouth I say what I wantwithout understanding desireI only get one moment every momentThere are no other options
I grow up because I dothe things I have always wanted to doto my body
I run my fingers throughthe air that has become my friendI dip my body like a candlewickinto the air I burnI’m something elsebut the air allows me a good timeas long as I wake up enoughI can open my mouthand what falls outlike creamer in coffeedaisy chainorange gourd clean peachI could be anywhere alivewith a friend like that
In summer air is easyand everyone knows itThey’re all trying to corral itwith their tongues Everyone is failingspectacularly Everyone’s hair is eventuallyblowing in a breeze
It is so pure to watchI am afraidI will lose my eyes [End Page 13]
Colleen Louise Barry is a poet and artist based in Seattle. Her work has been published in Jubilat, Sixth Finch, H_NGM_N, Forklift, Ohio, and other places. Her two chapbooks are Sunburn/Freezer Burn (smoking glue gun) and The Glidden Poems (dancing girl press). She is the founding editor of the publishing project and arts collective, Mount Analogue.
