Liberation

Pricked skin and pierced lips
Ribboned with white lace
Cracked and weighted down
With a lifetime of stories
Having smooth stones for teeth
A younger mouth would appreciate
Speaking feels heavier
With cruel age
Who would listen?
Pebbles in the hands of strangers
Rocks in the hearts of friends
Mountains to move oneself
Who would dare?
Silence is suffocating
So is the expectation
Of anyone getting the words right
Of simple assurance
That nothing has changed
But the snapping of string.