the pregnant syllable,
dissension waiting to burst:
like ruth at the well,
like bethsheba at the pool,
the truth is hauled out of me
drip by drip.
i am no reluctant gossip,
nor blushing bride nor eager mute;
when words are anathema,
a pursed mouth is the only resolve.
like sylvia and the ocean
we will be friends first,
then lovers.