Tuesday, September 12, 2023

APOSTROPHE

I am not a shortcut.

I am a whole word.

 

To experience me fully 

you need to sound me out 

every letter 

taste each syllable 

that composes 

the intricacies

of my story.


Chew slowly on 

the knowledge you receive 

remember it

savor it

the bitter and the sweet

balance them evenly 

amid your palate

too much of one or the other 

might leave a strange taste 

in your mouth.


If I tell you my secrets 

treat them like the personal shame

you intend to take to your grave

—guard them with your life—

do not let 

your mouth get wayward

my privileged info plunging 

from your irresponsible tongue.


Be extra careful with the skeletons.


If I trust you enough

to exhume them

from the closets 

I have buried them in

do not let the tiny bones

get lodged between your teeth

the sizeable ones

caught in your throat

I know my objectionable facts 

can be tough to swallow

hard to digest

try not to choke on your shock

do not be fooled 

by this good-girl smile

I have not been the saint 

these poems may 

have you to believe.


I can be a hurriquake

first and last name 

they frantically announce 

when cautioning the world 

of my impending doom.


If my mother were still here

she could tell you about 

the day she watched me

barbarically shudder her house

gut an emotional intruder 

on the phone

her eyes swamped with terror.


I wrote about it in detail

check my documents

I am just letting you know 

what to expect 

and simultaneously 

you never know 

what to expect 

from my verbiage vault.


When I said I was a whole word 

I also meant the truth.


See that?

 

Like a thesaurus 

if you search me

you will find infinite ways 

to define my complexities.

 

There are no contractions here.


You may not abbreviate 

the parts of me 

you find inconvenient.


You do not have permission 

to eliminate pieces 

of my original format.


Arrive prepared 

to consume me in my entirety.

 

I hope I have made myself clear.

 

Do not 

make me have to 

spell it out for you.


©2023 Charlene E. Green

Listen to the audio HERE

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