Control
Through decades
Of dedicated study
And with a phonic substitution
Master theoreticians
Turned moths into math
And by similar logic
Flowed into flawed
Paths of reason
Demanded proof of truth
And discovered bumblebees
Physically unfit for flight
With the benefit
Of sibilance
They seized science
In silence
Created a vocabulary
Of toneless vowels
And mute consonants
Burdened by a baton
Of conduct
Not conducive to music
Declared by default
Birds and bards
Equally bereft of magic
They rendered language
Speechless
Lips clamped tight
Over a mouthful of moths
Yearning to be myth
RAE SPENCER is a writer and veterinarian living in Virginia. Her poetry has been published in Willows Wept Review, The Driftwood Review, Melusine, Five Fishes Journal, vox poetica, and elsewhere. In 2009, she received a Pushcart Prize nomination. She can be found online at www.raespencer.com.
