i want to build you castles of words,

letters looping into stairs & banisters –

 

standing up billboards of breath

in a sleepless city lit by commas &

 

question marks. i want to sprinkle consonants

into your dreams & i want you to wake up with poetry

 

under your tongue. i’ll soften all the vowels

that dewdrop on the roses & i’ll sculpt

 

the adjectives into a vehicle

to the extraordinary. my fingers

 

may be feeble & my heart may spin

rambling novels before it’s through,

 

but i’ll keep restacking these bricks

and trimming these topiaries

 

until every last syllable

comes out right.

 

by Sarah Marchant

Sarah Marchant is a writer, poetry editor, and literary enthusiast living in St. Louis.

Listed at Duotrope
Listed with Poets & Writers
CLMP Member
List with Art Deadline
Follow us on MagCloud