"The Words She Wore" *

The Words She Wore

When she first spoke,
words were leaden with bookish facts
sandwiched with rehearsed one-liners
like a stiff, over-sized suit: It was pressed, 
it was clean
but could not conceal her slouch 
and anxious smile,
with pointy shoulders
and boxed silhouette  
heaping years onto her youthful façade.
with practice and wheeling seasons
she continued her quest for knowledge 
exploring the narratives of sages
uncovering truths from storytellers,
playing matchmaker for her 
ambitious neurons, phrases, and clauses.
soon, her words became a 
faded, well-worn band t-shirt
fitting her like a glove 
mapping the uncharted curves, twists and turns
                                                     she always knew her mind held. 

​*Originally published on Virgogray Press