Shut Up or Sing

I abhor the noncommittal
crooners of the world,

housing hummingbirds
behind dentin bars

and vibrant lips where
their languid tongues lie

heavy-laden with forgotten
lyrics and flat notes.

Shut up or sing.

Expand your diaphragm
and lyrical vocabulary

and release the deadened
songbird locked within your

ribcage. Exchange your
borrowed breath with the

wind, fly your passerine kite
and bawl your warbled squall.