FEATURE

Dead Language 
by CHRIS TOLIAN

My body speaks in a dead language
one older than Christ and Yahweh
older than Mother Gaia and the Great Father
older than Babel, Sumer, Cairo
language beyond the clay people, before dawn
language beyond words.

My body speaks in a dead language
the language. Language. Alpha lingua
a language that understands the beauty written by DNA*
sees truth in emotion, instinct
guttural curses, divine incantations
poetic body all intolerant and driven
obsessed with creation, contact
body poetica, brilliant blazing agony
desire.

My body speaks in a dead language
music without melody or rhythm
star song lexicon, angel words
hipsters weaving messianic dreams
hopi and hieroglyphs
before metrosexuals and rainbow coalitions
before right and wrong. Before guilt
before everything beyond nothing
when all was one single pulsing obliterating swirl of divine.

Let us sing our own faith and beauty and sweet sweet grace.
Come speak with me in a dead language.

 

 
By The Window ©2004 Ingrid Swillens

*That beauty written
in your DNA
the irreducible spark
that cannot be created,
eternal.
The here and now of you
defined by your being
that needs no reason or excuse.
It just is.