Brian Czyzyk

Shared Tongue

some will say that touch is     not a language
but you and I know                 our private tongue
what we share             across the page
of your body               I write love
into the curvature        of your veins
in the clear                              ink of my sweat
you dip your fingers   and scratch devotion
across my chest           whatever is lost
in air    returns            here in your hands
you unravel                 the scroll of me          
to conjugate    the space         between          
our atoms        form this grammar     
complete         this sentence

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Brian Czyzyk is a bi/queer, neurodivergent poet from Traverse City, Michigan. He holds an MFA from Purdue University and is pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of North Texas where he is Editor-in-Chief of American Literary Review. The recipient of awards from the Academy of American Poets and AWP, his work is published and forthcoming in Best New Poets 2025, Birmingham Poetry Review, The Hopkins Review, Cream City Review, Waxwing and elsewhere. He wishes you the best.