it matters where

it matters where you put words

on the page. it matters when

you put words on the page.

how much breathing

room a word needs.

how much space.

it matters where you put words.

how you speak them. it matters

how they make a home

in the skin. on the tongue.

with murmur and whisper,

entreaty and shouting and song.

some words are seeds,

others are hammers.

some are dry as sand, or

wet as kisses.

all these things matter.

this is how you make a mark.

this is how you write

a poem. or begin one.