The Myth of the Three-Tongued Woman
The Myth of the Three-Tongued Woman
Of course, she had three heads
to contain those base roots of language:
the redhead, the blue and the yellow.
No matter how many times she spoke
of him, no one could listen:
ni en español, pas en français, not in English.
They said her mouths all opened at once:
un ruidazo, un chahut, a din,
her tongues deserved to be severed,
did nothing but froth, spittle and lie.
Some chased her with knives, shears,
a rusting saw. She ran, her braids of hair
spelling out his name, which was always
el mismo, la même, the same—
whether she had three tongues, or none.
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