Riley Carroll
Sing slowly the melody
of a body in motion.
It knows no anchor
but the raucous steps of phantoms.
Wrap your mouth
around the hasty composition
and feel the urgency
in a roaring pause.
There is a fever here.
A swift, aching throb
in the core of the muscles.
Pain is a sound of persistence
so sing slow
and sing strong
and sing lightly
enough to raise the hairs
on the body’s neck right below
where nerves meet spine.
Let there be a pause here.
A sweet, languid rest
for a body that has no end.