The way my mouth must move

to make the word July

the oooh curl of lips

and push of air followed

by the open-mouth roll of tongue

ends in an expression

that could be mistaken

for the way I look

when your hands calm

the outside of my skin.

 

This all started in June

and now the low fruit ripens,

falls onto ground carpeted

with faded jacarandas.

Alone in my bed I feel peaches

open, I hear plums softly

thud on the path between

our houses.

 

Mosquitos sing low in my ear

Like a persistent lover, like

a warmth from my depths

that won’t let me sleep.

Tonight I will rise, open

screen doors without regard,

find you on my porch

with no further

elaboration.

 

The South Carolina Review, Volume 35, Number 2 (Spring 2003)

 

 

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