Sing You Of The Tongue Poem by Raj Arumugam

sing you, commanded the voice,
sing you,
O one of million insipid poets
lost at websites;
sing you of the tongue


who’s that? I said
pretty sure
the effects of an overdose of paracetamol
could not linger for so long


O you inglorious cyberspace versifier
tied to praise and strokes
of fellow-weaklings at poetry sites
sing you, I command you
of the tongue


excuse me, I replied,
living in a democracy
I don’t take directions like that…
besides I’m vegetarian
and I couldn’t possibly sing
in good conscience
about delicacies like cow tongues
and pig tongues and taco de lengua
or duck tongues
or ox tails for that matter…
besides, I queried,
who the hell are you?


ah, said the voice
I am your muse
that your modern world has banished;
by me all tongues move in eloquence
and all tongues are born and prosper
and therefore I command you
sing you of the tongue


but why me?
I asked,
unable to resist a cliche


because you are a weakling,
came the firm and quick reply


all right, but sing like how? I said,
unwilling to dispute with this voice
and quite convinced a lunatic
ventriloquist was around
(though talking to myself
I wondered if I too was not insane)
like, how should I sing?
like:
O I sing of the tongue supple and delicate…
or
of the tongue I sing
and its exploits
in battlefields and in bedrooms…
how do you like those beginnings?


you imbecile!
declared the throaty voice
your generation of vipers
imitate the ancients
and yet you know nothing of the muse that
moves tongues;
do not presume to ask me how you should sing
for I know only how to command
and therefore I command you,
you weakling underdog:
Sing
you of the tongue!


and so I started
and composed there
three poems on the red human tongue
and I confess I cheated
for lack of inspiration
and so I included this as number one.






(1 in 3 of the series: Tongue Poems)