Theme Stammer (Hand Over Mouth)

None of the blind
can see these ripped lips,
not one of the blind
know I am here.
They don't see
the struggle on my tongue,
they don't see the fear.

None of the deaf
can hear my voice,
not one of them
hear the frustration.
They cannot listen
to the tearing in my mouth
as I try to change the station.

I need water
to quench the flames,
I want a song
so that I may sing.
I pray for patience
to wait for the time
when the itch in my words
don't sting...

@Steven Francis poems 1996