Inmate Words

in White Heat
there's a character
who reads lips

using a mirror to see
the mouths of prisoners
in other cells

that's how I feel
when I talk
with you

except I don't
need a mirror
to see your lips

except that I don't
know the first thing
about lip reading

except that I'm free
not a prisoner
in a cell

but that's how I feel
when I try to capture
the inmate words

that attempt
their daytime
escape

from the lithe
penitentiary
of your mouth