be and not

coughing

is the only time

you’ll recognize your breath

so suffocate

live in gaps

and die each day

only to begin again

for no other reason

because you were born

drooling and learning

how to use those lungs

to stop drooling

in sputters

*

leave some

of me left

after you have

finished with me here

licked your fingers

ate

and

filled

yourself with yourself

and the memory of me

that oozes into the future

forgotten

so that i can learn

what it means

to miss you

before you miss me –

that way

i’ll have some of me still

to give to others

who don’t look like you

but in the right light

or right night

like with my eyes closed –

or theirs –

they can be

and not be too

*

let us

come into us

by

talking about silence

for often it is

unheard of

and overlooked

in the ululation of a page

who announces

the musings of someone else

not here with us

and who could never come

into our quiet inlet

where is is

and isn’t

and doesn’t have to be

for is is a lot sometimes

and sometimes it’s not

like when we whisper

when we are used to yells