Work Text:
Voice box intact
no sound in it though
only when he is spoken to
then his lips unzip
the words are precise
carefully considered
like a scalpel into flesh
only just enough to get the job done
zzzzzzip.
He does not look
back upon the days when his lips flapped
like a butterfly’s wings
a joviality that died
when his wings broke
from the same words he spoke
then he learned it was best
to keep his lips zipped.