now im not saying they should not be free

free from grammar and rhyme

that they should not reveal and unpeel

and show you the layers of what once

was formed in suggestive spit

im not saying they should not be barefoot

and be tickled and cut by the world

im saying don't gag them with abbreviations

don't pick their skin with ugly interpretations

don't crack their ribs with associations

im saying

dress them, strip them, paint them, parade them

but don't choke them, sever them,

don't bury them with your muck.

i'm saying i don't know what i'm saying

because i heard this from someone else.