Long before she lost it drift-
S unanchored wanted to merge
And the body of the singer become
The body of the instrument
Talk to the drum find it hum
Study its vowels she made her vow
To sound slowly syllable by
Syllable she pronounced words
In Uzbek word unmoored word
Pure sound oh river long had I
Been long seasons invaded
By your current devoured your tongue
Of water those years time bent
My one voice spoke
From The Voice of Sheila Chandra (Alice James Books, 2020). Copyright © 2020 Kazim Ali. Used with permission of the author.