speak then

don't speak from
the hollow of your skull,
those ancient grooves
of insipid grey,
curling up with pride,
speak from
those bleeding rivers
that feed them all,
crashing against walls,
breaking them
into the vastness
and nothingness
of their own selves,
carrying the shifting silt
of this one blessed
human experience.

speak then,
from there,
from the bowels
of your breath,
so you can listen,
so we can all listen.