Happy as Walt Whitman


My ear runs
down my face
like chocolate. Did
you say you love
me? I lick chocolate
all day. When evening comes
I like its look.
I lick the evening, too.
It is the beginning
of my infancy. I taste
pillows, shoes. I tie
objects to my tongue.
They dangle like streamers.
It is a birthday
party! There is chocolate
everywhere. You hide
it in my mouth. I chew,
a rich happiness. You
open your mouth and give
me more. I love
you, I say. You
call your friends
over. I repeat myself.
They pat my head.
You wipe my mouth.

from Either/Ur, River City Publishing, 2002.