he places his tongue just right
in his mouth
he readies his ear for what he wants
to hear
he studies the way the French move
their hands, their heads
how they carry stomach, butt
how they engineer the slowest movements
of the hips
he will try to remember
that all things that begin in love
begin in the body
today he will write a poem
with chasseresse in it
he will feel the word plumb
to his toes
he will feel it course through
the top of his head
scramble back inside him
go straight for the trapdoor
at the back of his throat

Darrell Bourque
Burnt Water Suite
San Antonio, TX: Wings Press, 1999
Used by permission of the poet.