Slam on Words

I am the words that escape my lips

The ones that shatter the glass divide between private thought and public permanence

Sometimes they leave a dirty stain, one I can't wipe away with the tears from my eyes

Sometimes they are little gifts crisply wrapped and tied up in a bow

Others sputter into the air, foaming and bubbling, leaving the ground without a trace

I like these just as much.

I am the words that float from the back of my mouth

“You got a fast car, I want a ticket to anywhere. Maybe we can make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere.”

The ones that touch the audience across from the stage, the walls of the sticky chorus room

and the curtain of my bathroom shower

Sometimes they are soft and hollow, paired with blotchy red eyes

Sometimes they crack the glass of bottled up fury and shoot out my fingertips as I punch the air

Others ring and crescendo, twisting and turning, waiting to blow eardrums

These ones are just for me.

I am the words that snap off the tip of my tongue

“I affirm the resolution.”

The ones that ricochet around the room during the round, smacking my opponent over their head

Sometimes they make the debate messy, leaving me itchy and hoarse

Sometimes they come out backwards and upside down, a jumble of sounds

Others light me up with pride

These are the ones that prove I have made an impact.