These Lips (Both Versions)

Here's another from the "archives." The original was written in 1994 as an homage, of sorts, inspired by Lucille Clifton's Homage to My Hips. The "sequel" was part of an assignment to write a form poem. I don't really enjoy writing form poems. I took my lip poem and created a rhyme scheme for it.

These Lips

O, how I hated these lips,

these obese pieces of meat

that hang under my nose:

thick bits of pork fat

These lips stopped me

from talking to girls

because I knew

they secretly laughed

at these lips

I did all I could

to hide them,

posed in front of the mirror

for hours, sucking

them over my teeth,

looking like some amateur

Humphrey Bogart

I dreamt of the day

my face would sprout hair,

some down, at least,

to camouflage their unsightly mass

Until I found someone

who loved these lips

& licked these lips

& sang to their lusciousness

Now, these lips are lover's lips:

bearers of deep, titillating kisses

to which even the most resistant

must succumb

These lips are liquid lips,

flowing swiftly, clearly

over every hill & valley

in their wake

These lips are liquor,

intoxicating,

take a sip

These Lips (a sequel)

O, how 

I hated these lips

These hulking beef tips

Thick port fat strips

big pink buffalo chips

I thought, "These are some god's slips

or some wicked cantrips

'cause I surely could eclipse

half the world with these lips."

Then a goddess worshiped

the breadth of these lips

her tongue forming ellipses

her mouth taking sips

Now these redeemed lips

are proud sailing ships

taking extended trips

from head to hips

bringing pleasure

in long,

slow

drips