They say cure
as if
lemon curd,
bright sun
dawning the tongue,
a sour trial
then clean.
In this place
hour by hour
is best,
no hope but
a next day.
Exit near
or far, what’s gone
is gone,
cure a salted tongue,
not the same
as never sick.
Ann DeVilbiss has had work in BOAAT Journal, Gertrude, The Maine Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, and elsewhere, with work forthcoming in Channel Magazine and Pangyrus. Her chapbook, When the Wolves Stay Quiet, is available from dancing girl press, and she lives and works in Louisville, Kentucky.