Uncle Joe

Uncle Joe has a stutter

A funny kind of sound:
T -t -t - ta, t -t -t - ta
R - r - r - ra, r - r - r - ra

(Always makes me think
rat - a - tat - tat, rat - a - tat - tat)
His face claiming palsy
for a moment or two;

such tension ripples through
his features and the swell subsides,
the clear glassy surface
appearing again.

At times I wonder if some words
are not easily spoken for the heaviness
of them, much like a big meal
refusing to digest.

Or is there among us
a thin-throated clan
whose Darwinian anatomy
is yet to ketchup?

Copyright; Tara Leonard