Utterance

The Intonations of Human Lips

A sniff, a sigh, a sneeze, a cry,

A laugh, a moan, a gasp, a groan,

Breathe in, breathe out, a hum, a shout,

A noun, a verb, a whispered word;

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We cough, we choke, we snort, we joke,

We scold, we spew both lies and truths,

We chatter, stutter, mumble, utter,

We gnaw and chew forbidden fruits;

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We preach, we pray, we speak, we say,

We curse, we sing, with words we sting,

We talk, we toast, we blame, we boast,

We kiss, we smile, we logophiles;

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These words we make, these vocal signs,

Some gutteral and some divine,

Oh, the many sounds our lips do host,

These intonations from our throats.

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“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

~ Isaiah 6: 5-8 ~