Travel

Malika opened her mouth to speak and lost her tongue
No sound came out, but colors danced between her teeth
She had seen the world in nursery rhymes and backseat bass
And the world had not been so simple
While syllables gave it skin
She could not speak it
And her music could only echo my hearts own memory
Of ruins alight with orange suns
Crystal pools of silk and pebbles
And children’s fingers pulling at my pockets.