# #mouths

3 poems

## [photobooth](https://chromato.graphics/photobooth)

shoes stick to the floor,  
we wander past the bar  
into a dim red-lit lounge.  
pinball, locked door, you.  
you’re a seeing machine.  
pull your curtain closed—  
shroud us in secrets that  
end just above our waist.

tap on a train faregate,  
a beep reminds us that  
transportation isn’t free,  
a short trip still costs us.  
you’re a seeing machine.  
see what we’re made of.  
we’re trapped here now,  
we can’t hide from flash.

all whirring and waiting.  
don’t know how long ’til  
our capture, our release.  
we kiss from impatience.  
you’re a seeing machine.  
our mouths are blurring,  
hands in hair, bite marks  
in flesh. we have no time.

falling back into the light.  
was there music before?  
we lean against the box,  
we cannot lose contact.  
you’re a seeing machine.  
you take time to develop.  
wait here: a strip will fall.  
freeze us in four frames.

![Black-and-white four-frame photobooth strip of two people kissing.](https://chromato.graphics/_astro/photobooth.CBK1CijU_Z184ngP.webp)

## [food](https://chromato.graphics/food)

a girl’s gotta eat,  
grow big & strong  
food becomes fuel  
fired brick oven

i have reservations,  
my seat’s set aside  
gin martini stirred—  
small coin of lemon.

white pressed linens  
red leather cushions  
polished steel fixtures  
scarred marble veins

amuse my palate  
gift from the chef  
_we kindly request:_  
_no sharing allowed_

a girl’s gotta eat,  
wash away fears  
enjoy my choices  
wet lips, appetite

taste first with eyes  
each flavor distinct:  
salt, grit, acid, burn  
hungering for it all

the first bite builds  
anticipation of more—  
a mindless chewing,  
my posture softens

i lick your plate clean  
_it’s been taken care of_  
have i saved any room?  
no, some other time

## [stick](https://chromato.graphics/stick)

winter cherry, lush  
pressed to the pane :  
clear swirling glass,  
vessels for grapes

red print attracts  
gazes from gays  
strange artifacts  
mouths go astray

first contact lasts  
longer than stains  
washed away fast —  
much like our brains

they always say  
lips that disguise  
can’t be the way,  
but never the why

shouldn’t we just  
paint what we feel  
even if lips must  
become the meal