from "Translation"
by Sissy Boyd
1
my body is wise and holds its connections.
the skeleton of so many bones
shapes my spine, head, face, trunk, limbs.
and the muscles I will to move I will to move
and there are muscles that move unwilled.
my mouth and nose and eyes open on my face.
in the curve of my arms,
in the place of my torso
I write words.
movement is my first language.
language is my second language.
translation is the key.
2
in the plain turn of the body make a sentence: dusk
blurs her turn toward him.
in the way of hands, make a sentence: these hands
cup water.
in the way of stepping into the shallow water.
in the way of letting down her hair,
it only took the weight of that.
my body is a bridge.
silence to utterance.
I cross my own bridge.