lips sown shut
by life

running along
roaring rivers
scattering rice
like confetti
into a sea of dumb newlyweds

your eyes shed a muddy light
and breathe out your last pair of words

vagueness in your fingers
your tongue touches incoherences
i see a certain nervous root
the stuff that holds you together

enclosed by a valley you pick out a scent
unmisted by tulip bulbs you could rise
as a full bottle of tiny gems
darling blind amulets in your aging hands