Words

I am at a loss.
There are a thousand words
and tonight
I am nearly silent.

There are words for the color blue
and for the taste of a perfectly
poached egg.
There are words for hostas
and hope and hotels.

There are words for rain
and radiance of light.

There is silence in me
and a loss of control
over things like locks
and laughter
and language to tell you
of this enormous love
that lives in all of us.

Speak to me
in words that whisper
the truth.
Remind me of our humanity
and of the way that the skin feels
when a single finger brushes
the back of a hand
with the intention
of connection.

Wake me.
Open my heart with words.
Remember the ways in which we are
dominated by the movement of our mouths
shaping meaning out of simple sounds.