I Cannot Speak

 

 

I cannot speak,

my mouth is full of coins

I cannot cry or beg

only muffled longing and eyes.

.

I cannot spit or barely breathe

for the tumbled gold between my teeth,

there is love making and revelry

that leaves me cold and choking.

.

I cannot eat

my lips a drum, a drawstring purse,

full to bursting.

.

A hint of space

seeks to displace

this mad gold,

frankincense and myrrh, fragrant contradictions.

.

Mouth and tongue pressed for time that coins cannot buy.

.

One ambitious

sliver

of success

one adventuring taste

of riches

one silver toy thing

sticky with birth

emerges

and falls

falls,

falling

passed a thousand sensations

to land

silently in the sand.

i cannot speak