A day comes
when the mouth grows tired
of saying “I.”
Yet it is occupied
still by a self which must speak.
Which still desires,
is curious.
Which believes it also has a right.
What to do?
The tongue consults with the teeth
it knows will survive
both mouth and self.
Which grin—it is their natural pose—
and say nothing.
—Jane Hirshfield
Jane Hirshfield’s sixth collection of poetry, After, will be published in 2006. She recently received fellowships from the American Academy of Poets and the National Endowment for the Arts.
