synaesthesia
in which one type of stimulation
evokes the sensation of another

your voice evokes shades
of glazed-pear sweetness, trickling
lightly, upon my tongue.
sing, sweet love, and let me savor
the coated timbre of your voice.

murmured endearments
at the nape of my neck, sleep-rough
and comfortably familiar,
twine languid cocoa and creme
in our kisses.
but when you are angry,
i cannot help but taste metal-tinged
bittersweet chocolate, melted
in the wake of your emotions.

——

give me a song, and i will know
immediately, epiphany-like:
(except this is no epiphany,
save for the kinds
which tell you smoke is fire,
and lily summer, and crocuses spring)
what pitch, what taste, what color.
play Liszt and i shall tell you
his hungarian rhapsody is black pepper
swimming in coconut-milk seas;
Mozart is subtle and sweet,
whipped cream layered on key lime pie;

i tell them it is no sin
to have Beethoven side-by-side
with Cursive and Coldplay,
but such beauty tastes wrong in my mouth.