A History of the Tongue

It lay idle on the beds of their mouths,
or came to life along a length of bone,
or on another's body;

and in time folded itself into a runnel
for a sound to pass through,
again and again;

and then fluttered for the sheer pleasure of it
in the wind of their breathing,
words rising from them like birds.

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HISTÓRIA DA LÍNGUA

Permanece ociosa na cama da boca
ou acorda a lamber um osso,
ou noutro corpo;

e por vezes enrola-se num regato
do som que passa,
repetidamente;

e então bate as asas por puro prazer
no vento da respiração,
as palavras levantam voo como pássaros.

by Simon RICKEY, in "THE POETRY REVIEW", Volume 104:1, Spring 2014

(Portuguese translated by Armando TABORDA, 2016)

(photograph 1st edition, 2014; 2nd edition, 2016; 3rd edition, 2021)