This is the tone
that lips are supposed to sound
if the safe house is compromised.
In a neighborhood where all houses
have the same rusted roofs and the same
falling-down fences, which one hides
the fugitive? There is a reason
they don’t have house numbers.
The tenor of bullfrogs
undercuts the whine
of the curfew. Do not report
all threats to your tribe.
Light a fire as usual
under the trees. Sweep the dry
leaves together with a long-
handled rake. Sit on your haunches;
tend to their burning and the smoke
rising through the cold air.
In response to Via Negativa: Embouchure.