Mike James: Reasons to Mumble

after Harkaitz Cano

.

Because some vowels must be exhaled quietly

Because every witch knows spells must be spoken 

Because it helps to disregard the background noises  

So that you quote poems while on solitary walks

So as to know what you can’t remember when no one looks

Because people think it’s akin to grumpiness

Because it is always good to honor Mr. Brando and his art

Because it is far away from yelling

Because it is a cousin to silence and the depth of silence 

So that you can follow your thoughts away from your mouth

So that some secrets grow larger with air

Because every syllable is a measure of time 

To let others create a circle around you

To invite yourself away from your house 

To talk to your house and your cat as if each is always listening

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Copyright 2022 Mike James

Mike James’s many poetry collections include Portable Light: New & Selected Poems, 1991-2021 (Redhawk, 2022). He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee.