the face seems
not quite right
maybe the chin too soft
or the brow not strong enough
no
something insouciant
about the mouth
but the clay
–red on the hands
red on the fingers
red under the fingernails–
the clay forgives
and forgives
and forgives
while you can fix a
broken nose
with a thumb and your index
finger
and scrape away
the lips with
a wire loop
and start again
you can’t re-sculpt
any words that pass
those lips
Words and Feathers 