by Barney Harper
Practice the sound of the letter N
by reading while naked, kissing soft necks, waking at noon, eating nine of them, nuzzling a belly, nabbing the last one, napping on a work day, revelling in naughtiness, guarding needs, necking negronis, being neither nor t’other.
Rehearse your O
by opting out, welcoming oddness, offing constraints, oopsing your fuckits, owning your youness, ousting your duties, okaying desires, fuelling your oomph, oiling your openness, destroying obediences and obliterating oughts.
Feel the way your tongue presses
to the roof of your mouth
the way your lips close in to a pout
as if to kiss. This,
is how it feels
to love yourself.