July 15th

“July 15th”

Giraffes are missing their vocal cords.
They can’t whisper,
scream
call out to you in a crowded train station.
And they can’t use their voice
to tickle the quiet spots of your back.
They have the longest necks,
the ability to spot you over miles and miles of road.
But if they spot you,
they can only exhale a dark, desolate air from their mouths.

It must be excruciating.
Never being able to ask you to dinner,
ask you to dance,
tell you it’s raining and to bring an umbrella just in case.
Tell you about the stars.

But I think they still try,
wishing that you could decipher the molecules they expel into the cold, night air.
A silent scream.