what a robin thinks

~ for Mariner Janes

worm
but not worm
instead: lightning mother waterslide

not the words
but the shape of your mouth
when you whisper them
in a crowded airport.

don’t go to the woods or
some ragged field to try it -
it will not work

for you are the one
who understands those spaces
and a robin’s home is nothing like yours.

in the land of the robins
sounds melt into a different atmosphere
and background noises are scripts,
not soundtracks

in the land of the robins
languages and words are
drunken strangers who
wrestle shirtless in
the back allies of the clouds.

the land of the robins is a place you can never visit
though you can purchase a ticket
and wait

whisper: lightning mother waterslide

taste worm, but not worm,
a flavour that can be spoken to no one,
only sung to the sky.


from the summer 06 issue of one cool word.