And, in two forms, it held on—
In one, it is a sharp form
Of wit, a sense, and in one
It is some goop used to bind
A stain, gold leaf, or etched lines.
To bite, nip, sting, to cause pain,
To cause harm, which, in this tongue
Might have come from an old root
That meant to rub out. This thing,
A word we bite in our mouths,
A word once used on black lace,
This shade, this stain on the tongue,
It tells us we know we’re prey.
