Cast them against the tongue

Cast them against the tongue! 
If they bloom like palpable fire, 
they are real. 

If you would utter them as you 
wait for your transport, they 
are real. 

If you hear them 
as you see them, they are real. 
If they condense—if they 

squeeze worlds upon worlds 
into tiny fists that burst—
real. 

If they say what they are 
exactly—
real, real, real.

Dale Chou
2019-07-17