Welcome to Poetic Licence – a weekly poetry forum, hosted by us, featuring words by local poets. This week? Author and Mayne Islander Julie Emerson.
Ode to Lips: food luscious / word luscious
some plump shrimp, peapods nibbled, fleshy mushrooms,
a mess of papaya, peaches, plums with cream,
all in, curvy lips like vermilion legumes
open sesame
talk with your mouth full
blab your love, murmur in your mother tongue, hum
to me hymns to limpid pools, to blooming skin,
words melt in your mouth, cumulus mounds, sing some
Julie Emerson, writer and artist, lives in Vancouver and on Mayne Island. You may have seen her cherry blossom haiku on Vancouver buses. She is the author of five books, including Twenty-Seven Stings (New Star Books) and The Herons of Stanley Park (with photographer Martin Passchier). This poem is from her next book, Your Body, comprised of sapphic odes to the human body.
To submit your own poetry to Poetic Licence, email [email protected] with Poetry Column in the subject line. Include your poem, full name, contact details and bio. Only those selected for the column will be contacted.
