As if a tongue was more than muscle, silver. 
As if silver wasn’t muscle. Each split 
into a fork like snakes our mothers taught us to fear 
no matter how many times people from the city 
came to show us we should love them. 
Too strong a verb? Say then admire, appreciate. 
Look how snakes never sing, or speak, and feel 
no need to. They ripple as breath across the earth. 
We break into old hymns just watching.