Katherine Berta

HYOID

A loop of bone
borne like a noose
around the neck--
its articulation
forces pitch, makes
the tongue precise.
Language circles
the esophagus,
presses the trachea.
It is a horseshoe,
the shape lucky, self conscious
as anything that cups
the edge of superstition.
Yet the sound
grounds itself
in bone, ligament stretching
from meat not
to meat, but to the ossified
snare more solid.
It does not move, doesn't
fret. It stops across
your throat.

Katherine Berta is an Ohio native currently living in Tempe, Arizona. She recently graduated from Arizona State University's MFA program. Her work is currently appearing in 2River View.