Anthology Poem by Peter Jay Shippy

A mouth sings ballads, a mouth sucks a lemon,
a mouth hides uncouth words under its tongue,

once a month a mouth opens wide to let
moonlight strike its pigheaded lungs, a mouth

flutters during the movie's scary part, the part
where a mouth opens the heavy door and takes it

on the chin, when a mouth whistles "Misty"
a cab appears to drive a mouth to the sea

where a mouth lures a pearl by screwing up,
by puckering like a lonesome oyster, a mouth

swells in the spring to keep from blowing away
the names of the flowers, a mouth presses against

the door, like a dog, like a dog's mouth waiting
for the squall to end, a mouth fills with water

to score the ball lightning, a mouth needs
a mouthful of ash to knead into a ball, cheek

to cheek and once across teeth until a world
is ready for the oven, a mouth swallows

the cake, the saw, the salt lick, a mouth swallows
a golden swallow and flies for the storm's eye,

to stop its mind from blowing steam a mouth ties
its tongue into a fist, to raise a new clapper

a mouth grows a ruby cocoon from its gums,
even crows cry when a mouth fills with brown leaves

and curdled apples, a mouth must inhale a ton
of sulfur to blow just one halo, a mouth chews

on its spectacles and sighs, someone enters
through the eyes to take the mouth by surprise

and together they eat the candle flame, a mouth
soothes a stone to fashion a whisper, a blush streak,

a mouth wakes up late at night aching for milk,
for mother's nipple, when a mouth finds another

mouth they form a little spindle to weave a woof
for the devil, to keep Mr. Scratch at bay,

sometimes a mouth hides, a mouth hides under a veil,
a mask, a smile, under starblink, a prayer,

a mouth hides under wax lips until it tries
to kiss the sun and is revealed, burnt and sere,

a mouth applies a balm of snowflakes, a mouth
raises its meat slipper, a pink flag, no surrender.