Chicane
charlemagne (nope)
pontchartrain (nope)
chilblain (nope)
all day I’ve been
searching for the
word–
slippery serpentine
brain-barrier
zooming past
my mouth like
a ferrari…even
though it’s supposed
to force a slow-down
it’s like chagrin:
Cha- as in charge
CHA-grin (like smile
not- grine
like serpentine) or
Sha- as in share
SHA-grin (like smile)
I’ve heard it both ways
these words are silly
make my barin mushy
(did you see what
happened up there?
I’m leaving it.)
(much to my chagrin)
VANESSA SHIELDS 