Patricia Smith – Ⅳ

Speculum orisThe Speculum Oris was a scissor-shaped instrument inserted into the mouth of a slave to force the jaws open. The crew of slave ships would force captive Africans to eat so that they couldn’t escape servitude by starving themselves to death. 

 

the requisite tunnel

teeth in the way, tapped out

of the wailing

circle

 

oris,

the weeping horn,

iron hammered thin

stretches face bone to bend,

tongue flails,

signs scream

in this cave of stunned

speech

 

rusted screw pierced cheek

twist, tighten,

gums stretched bloodless

 

speculum

 

fat flies,

not believing

their bounty, explore,

dizzied by whispers

of oat rice threads of fat

 

woe is

 

snap shut

thoughts of swallow,

snaking head of possible

in the throat

 

you will eat. you

will live. eat. knees scissor

and knock no

to warm water,

shredded meat. last tooth

leans, relents,

 

skin welds

around this

iron, becomes this

skin

 

around this

iron becomes this

skin