give it a godam voice
you locked it up
every inch of black and blue
stuffed into a bottle
mean and smokey
smoldering until it devoured
every atom of oxygen
the bottle was
left for the milkman
hoping he would take it
leave you a quart
of fresh sweet cream
it stayed right where you left it
give it a name
godamit
if you’re going to bury it
write it in the mud with your fingers
so the rain can carry
it down to the river
give it a voice
scream it into the air
smash it into the earth
carve it on your hand
so that you know it
when it crawls back to you
5 thoughts on "give it a godam voice"
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I love this. How many, many things materialize and can be addressed until we name them.
An amazing example on how important language is. And this part?
“if you’re going to bury it
write it in the mud with your fingers
so the rain can carry
it down to the river”
Wow.
Thank you. this is one of those 3 am poems when you wake up and the whole thing just jumps out at you.
High-impact poem. The ending is strong.
A masterful metaphor!
give it a name
godamit
if you’re going to bury it
Love these lines, especially!