The Gods of Babel
       

The gods of Babel went quiet
When I knelt down and begged for a translation
So sure was I that every stain on your mouth
Meant a word with some significance;
These stains were letters written in deep crimson
Emphasized by a bright bloodied background,
An uneven upped alphabet that was displayed
For my desire to decipher and read:
This is it, this is what I mean — you mean
That I came to believe in the truth of those dark stains
And forgot to turn back towards the light

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Copyright © 2012 Judith Mok All rights reserved
from Gods of Babel
Salmon Poetry
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission