174. Tongue in Place of Music

the click of the branch
in the sound of the noise of the voice

the tongue on the roof as it lets itself loose

the click the click the click
the crack

hear what you can in the sound of a yawn
in the sound of a mouth cranking open

hear it with tongue against t
hear it hear it

there is a heart in it and it is beating
beating forth a flowing blood

a measure in the beating
a measure in the breathing

the body is a music
body is the music of human space

voice come
if a voice come
voice come at you like a sound of singing
that is the sound of the song

voice
if a voice come at you
if at you like the sound of a laughing
that is the sound of joy

if with the sound of crying
a voice come at you
in halting speech and gasping
that is the sound of it

voice is a measure of meaning
a measure of
the man of meaning
a measure
of human feeling meant

feel in the body the timbre of the voice
feel the deep rich rouxy voice
feel then the thin reedy voice
feel the voice buzzing through the nose

nose is the noise of some saying
nose is the noise of some singing

take every piece of the sound of the voice
the sound of the larynx buzzing in place
the sound of the tongue twisting within
the sound of the lips coming together
the sound of the lungs pushing it out

a word is but the sound of air
a word is but the sound of the air as it leaves a body

a word is a burst
appears in a burst

the lips can’t keep it in
the lips can only shape it

I hear in my head the sound of my words as I speak
I hear in my head the sound of my words as I sing

I sing a song
a song I’ve sung
I sang a song
a song I’ll sing

I sing a song
with only tongue
I sing a song
to anything

I sing a song to anything
because my voice must make it so

I sing a song to sleeping you
I sing a song without a sound
I sing a song you cannot hear
I sing a song that’s never here