What So and So Was Trying to Say

Fringe ArtsPoemVallerey Akinyi Ogweno — Published February 10, 2026 5 minutes

Let my tongue arrest my soul the way you who look at me with darkened eyes and manipulative tears can take me into captivity for my offensive ways. Let my tongue confuse and misuse that poison, 

Something like staring at a mouth that does not move 

yet hearing what you conceal with a phony smile and a faulty metaphor 

jump out of the shallows of your loin and speak to you face to face. 

Does it frighten you? 

Am I laughing with no emotion? 

Am I really here? 

Do you see me? 

Did I travel too far, climb too high, 

should I slow down my speech, my feet, my heart, my mind. 

Should I let you equate yourself to

God

Watch you lie to me about what I have and what you gave me 

Convince me to grovel at your mercy 

Become inadequate, inept, lower my voice for your sake 

Or should I move my mouth 

Because if you're frightened now… 

Wait until I start speaking in tongues 

                                                                                    Wait until it bounces, explicitly

Wait until I stop holding my breath

                                                                                      And my bowel movements begin again 

Wait until my heart starts beating at a normal pace 

                                                                   Wait until you find out I’m speaking perfect English 

And that I did, in fact, add a please and thank you

                                                                            That I referred to you as a blessed child of God 

That I attempted to understand you 

                                                                                             That I did not weaponize my feelings 

That I don’t have to beg for my authority 

                                 Wait until the very God you claim comes down and claims me 

Does that frighten you? 

You wait 

You wait and see 

I beg you wait 

Until you see that I'm seated at this dining table, 

as you the head 

Shout obscenities at my character 

as your true self breaks out 

As they listen and applaud, because unfortunately, you’re so good at moving the innocent 

Wait and see 

                   that my mouth never moves, my tongue was arrested long ago, and

                                                   I sit at the dining table, 

                               hands clasped in prayer, mind entranced in meditation 

                                as my eyes search for someone to give me permission, 

                                                     for someone to set me 

                                                                  free,

                                          to catch my tongue and run with it. 

And oh, wait…right there…he caught it. 

Flat Line 

Eh hem, “I think what so and so was trying to say is, if you slightly tilt your head to the side you’ll see a mirror right in front of you”