circular staircase

The mouth says nothing
Insipid, tame creature
Smiling apologies all day

The ears are useless
Superfluous ornaments
They can’t even shield

No we are every emotion
Every intrusive thought under lids
like the flicking of a cat’s tail, peaceful or livid, look and learn

We are a blink from crying
The windows to this soul
stare into us then glance away

We read a fairy tale
Where a princess could
Trade faces, live in another skin

Some days behind her desk
Or over the sink
Or in bed

We think of other eyes
And the relief of other views
Rolling before us

But mostly we fantasize
Of this moment
Writing late at night alone