The Poet Poem by Leonard Dabydeen

The poet

speaks with tongues of fire

his balm

of warm air rising

rising with the flow

of blood

caressing

vessels and veins

palpitating

in his burning heart

yearning and dancing

in a ritual of words

glowing

with crepuscular glee

his mind scurrying

scribbling patterns

nibbling ink

red

black

blue

sometimes his naked hands

hurrying

trying to make

images real

in a kaleidoscopic world

of ipods and iphones.