Rattle Snakes

i.
piece a perfection
to put in my teeth
to put in my tea

makes me happy enough
to die, to cry out

in such a place
pleasure aches

unable to tell it from pain
where these blend
where these merge

life and death do too
now and then
here and there

where she and I converge
where river enters sea

it’s over now
I’ll sink down
from this mountain peak

sit down in this seat
recall where I am,
my name, address

heaven and I, separated

Zeus took Leda in the air
had her there

when he came he let her go
let her fall again to earth
where she belonged

he had wings to fly away
in the sky away

I too was seeing blue

angel extremely skimpily clad
in no more than red ribbons
a red bow or two

in heaven, I was with her
until I could no longer take
could no longer stand

the taste of too sweet, too pure

I sucked until I could
no longer
no more

ii.
mixing bowl for my big spoon

oh what we couldn’t mix up

batter for cakes, or her big hips
my salad bowl

what we couldn’t mix or invent
if I went and she came

if we decided to keep house
make a go of it together

what things I’d gather
to fill her with, to fix

in what she provided

between her and me
to divide equally
whatever we manufactured
or came up with


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
Written between 4:43 p.m.
and 7:09 p.m. on Tuesday,
April 21, 2009