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84 Tonic Part the First: Bittersweet chocolate smooth on the tongue Part the Second: Tisane of herbs for the female parts: dong quai chaste berry raspberry leaf juniper parsley chamomile Part the Third: Sachet of Purcell notes ancient strings minus vibrato I hold it, this body that is not mine anyway (it’s yours) which is why I turn away so many nights, afraid that once the flood begins it will never stop, why I can hardly bear your tongue at the root, your warm mouth a tone poem, my Baroque consort. Sometimes, it’s easier to be alone with my delicious cravings to steep awhile a brew a stew a gravy A tonic, from Greek tonos, “a stretching, taut string” to “maintaining the healthy firmness of tissues” you are the home key, the basis stasis Typical, in a manner of speaking: these cells that never fuse and multiply the extra string on the viol, to go lower than usual, the endless variations that disperse forthwith when I return. ...

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