What the Mouth Knows

Some write for the eye alone,

for ink that settles, still and shown,

where meaning waits in quiet rows

and rests where silent reading goes.

But I have never trusted still,

I listen for a deeper will,

a hidden pulse beneath the line,

a measured breath, a truer time.

Not just the word, but how it leaves,

the way it bends, the way it breathes,

how one sound draws the next in close

or breaks the line it should compose.

There lives a rhythm under speech,

a living beat just out of reach,

I track it like a drummer’s ear,

the slip, the shift, the almost clear.

One syllable can tilt the whole,

too dense, and it will choke the soul,

too light, and it will drift away

without a place to land or stay.

So first I form it in the mouth,

not born of thought, but carried out,

where tongue and teeth and breath align

to strike the line or make it shine.

I test each phrase on breath and bone,

on how it sounds when fully known,

a vowel held a heartbeat more,

a softened edge, a sharpened core.

I do not chase the word alone,

I follow what the voice has shown,

what lingers after it is said,

what hums alive, not lying dead.

And when it’s right, it will not stay

confined to ink upon the page,

it steps beyond, it takes its place,

it lives

in sound

in breath

in space

Reviews

[Randall]

Cruly Grace, I believe what you have done with this writing is to create a blueprint for the rest of us to follow when we write a poem or story.
To test each word and sentence to make sure it's in its right place. So, we can hear the sound of a breathing piece of writing that is alive.

Randall...

[Curly Grace]

Always...Follow the pulse, beloved, Randall. It really never leads astray.

[Thomas W Case]

Tremendous work. Powerful writing.

[Trace]

Oh my, this is some of the best writing I have read on Writerscafe in a long time, You are a wordsmith,
What you have written and expressed, Is how I feel about poetry, and what I love to read.

This is one of your finest pieces, and it deserves all the praise.

Wonderfully written poetry.

Trace

[jacob erin-cilberto]

This has a living beat...and is more than just a string of words that rhyme...this rhyme makes sense and works...I love this...and I don't care for rhyme at all.
nicely done where this poem lives in a space where it can live in sound and breathe.
I am watching Constantine with Keanu Reeves...what a wonderfully weird flick...
this movie has its own breath and bone...but no softened edge.
j.

[John the Baptist]

Indeed, one syllable can tilt the whole. I've been dealing with just that problem tonight. Never thought of testing on breath and bone. I'll give it a try. Thanks for sharing.

[Curly Grace]

I read everything I write out loud, John. It really helps me to feel the sounds. I'm a very visual person as well, so it needs to look "right" if you will. Thank you for reading.

[Davidgeo]

You got technical skills man. Well done. Good form. Excellent form

[Curly Grace]

Thanks, Dawg! ;) and don't forget to smile...

[Davidgeo]

I will try and remember.

[Gee]

Flawless, perfect, jealous:))

[Buddhistboy73]

This reads like an ode to the artform of poetry to me CG...:)

I liked the depth of thought behind this one...."What the mouth knows" indeed......

These were my favourite lines:

Not just the word, but how it leaves,
the way it bends, the way it breathes,
how one sound draws the next in close
or breaks the line it should compose.

BB73

[Brandon Houser]

Wonderful rhythms here. This lives, breathes, and of course......lingers.

[Curly Grace]

Thank you, Brandon. The door stays open for you. You can always linger a little longer with me. ;)

[Rosie C]

I’m a bit mind-blown by this piece.

It has a very tactical approach, almost like you are playing a game of chess with the reader.

I can see some logical thinking at play. A careful choice in words.

A surprisingly, intriguing read. You have me hooked onto this.