Two poems, one idea, recycled phrase.

what to do with a word (6)

plop it whole
into your mouth. go on.
let the round sweetness
penetrate you.
wrap the warm
tight
swollen
skin
with your tongue
then suddenly
without warning
bite down.

let blood red juice
drip
over flesh
stain teeth
make a mess

you haven't finished
yet. suck
flesh out
from around
the pip, the round
hard heart of
what drives it

and using
your best
lingual
gymnastics,
tie the cherry stalk
into a knot
for good luck.



Cherries
for Casey

In summer we bought
cherries
taut black bags
of juice-splurged sweetness

filling bag
after handpicked bag –
look, I'd say
twins

I've got triplets
you'd reply -
you were always
so damned competitive.

Back home
(cherries by the handful
tumbled under tapwater &
plopped into mouths, whole)

back home
the real contest would begin.
Look, mine's bigger
I'd claim

no, mine's bigger
you'd say -
watch, I'll tie a loop
in the stalk with my tongue.

And so we'd tangle
in lingual gymnastics
until someone
won

a knot
tied neatly
on our tongues,
meaning

we'd find true love
at last.