by Shoshauna Shy

THE ACCENT

It moves my blood like butter moves

In a Catoosa County skillet

Taking me downriver on

The detours of his A's,

His R's and D's as cushioning

As a swallow of Bay Rum, his humming

Soft as suede I want to smooth

Between my hands.

Let my tongue scoop the hollows

Where his tossed-out T's have fallen,

Wander the ravines where his G's sit

Forgotten, press the palate, lick the gap

Where Dixie goes a-whistling, taste

The place where these sounds come from --

Let me taste where they were born.

- Honorable Mention in Milwaukee Public Library's "Love

Letters Lost & Found Contest," published on a broadside