xhxaxixkxux

 

Today at the Imaginary Garden our prompt is as follows:

“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”

I’m not exactly sure how old I was the first time I read “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”,  by Harlan Ellison. But I will never forget the way in which my hand reached for my mouth, how aware I became of the gift that is my free tongue, how the title made me cringe and shudder.

Can you imagine yourself being full of ideas and words and feelings and wants and urges and needs… and not being able to communicate them? Have you ever pictured yourself living in a world where you are not allowed to speak? For the purpose of this prompt, “not being allowed to speak” refers to being kept from speaking our minds without fear of punishment.

For today’s prompt, my dear Toads, I invite you to create a new poem inspired by the title of Ellison’s short story (the title of this post). Let your poetry explore the feelings that might lurk in a mind that must scream, but has no mouth. What would such mind poetize?

~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~

heart encased in stone

lips stitched by sinews of fear

the Hawk cannot cry

~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~

from silence blooms peace

when it is of your choosing

hell when it is not

~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~

hear no body speak

no body see no nobody

three senseless monkeys

~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~   ~~~

 

napowrimo 21/30(1)