it doesn't matter
how funny-looking you are

or that your ancestors
did not arrive
on the Mayflower

or even that you are
missing a limb

the world of the senses
is never dull

food is always
delicious

and no one is ever
anorexic

bad hair days
don't faze your friends

tempers may flare a bit
but hardly anyone
wants to fight

love is everlasting
and every citizen
has a big heart

My mother says
I started talking
at eight months

and I've hardly
stopped since.

An aunt once remarked,
"That child could talk
the hind leg off a mule."

Naturally, I became a teacher,
where one gets paid to speak.

But sometimes
I just want you
to gently shut me up

to stop my talking mouth
with kisses

to express ourselves
silently

with lips, hands,
skin on skin

to murmur the language
of lust

and speak tenderness
only in Braille.

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