We Know Each Other By Our Wounds
when a poet’s lips are sewn
with twine, a scissor or a razorblade
may interstice
(sound dribbles through—
unpicked stitches loosen rooted
tongue till words escape
(torn flesh—
poet finger-paints with bloodied
drool: fluids pool and pucker
into evidence
(print is privilege—
unsown poets make songs flesh
***
Jude Marr is the author of Breakfast for the Birds (Finishing Line, 2017). Her poetry has appeared in many other publications, including Panoply and Cherry Tree. She is a PhD student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and also poetry editor for r.kv.ry. More on Jude’s work at www.judemarr.com