Shut My Mouth

I've tried to learn to close my mouth

So shitty things don’t tumble out

It’s been suggested many times

The shutting of this mouth of mine

It is no easy skill to master

Lips race words but words move faster

The syllables like Nascar drivers

Dodging insight and saliva

Up the throat toward sweet ejection

Speeds untamed by circumspection

Through a mouth that’s always gaping

Catching air as they’re escaping

Pure emotion rips the air

Seeking what is never there

For I am a mere novelty

A unicorn, a circus freak

Just a jester, just a farce

A character, a game of cards

A welcomed break from the mundane

A place to visit not to stay

One thing that is always certain

Candor soon becomes a burden

Time to put me in my box

And close the lid and lock the locks

To play again another day

But sadly I don't bend that way

I don't include a shut up function

No filter and no power button

I can't be trained how to submit

And in a box I'll never fit

Go decorate my name with lies

Let the fans be satisfied

Wagging fingers, shaking heads

Voices loud and purpose fed

Circled round for years and miles

Scoffing both success and trial

Intent to box up flying things

And desperate to clip my wings

Release my hand to join the crowd

Growing numbers tall and proud

Failed attempts to plant their flags

Wasted efforts tying gags

All to elevate themselves

And keep me captive on a shelf

But much to their dismay they find

Sound carries from this mouth of mine

Words don't know how to stay caged

They're permanent, can't be erased

So even if I were to find

A way to shut this mouth of mine

A way to just endure the shit

Smile quietly and choke on it

My words would exit anyway

They would refuse to sit at bay

Through gestures or through slanted eyes

Closed lips won't keep them trapped inside

They are the manifested truths

They translate me for all to view

So whether it's by stroking keys

Ink to paper or boundless screams

What is me will not go dark

You can't command a fearless heart

This mouth of mine with lips so still

Won't silence what it is I feel

So don't be fooled by what you see

When quiet comes at your decree

Truth will fight and squeeze and bend

Until it knows it's message sent