Add Up To What
for E.M.L.

i.
from what part to town
from the heart of town
from which family island

Abaco or Spanish Well
or Green Castle, Eleuthera

is she related to artist, Alton Lowe

never thought of tying in intimacy
tying intimately

with this part of the population
my part of town, to her part of town

what though is her part of town
who is her family

what would they think of me, say of me
would they accept me, would she

were I to offer myself
along with poems, with pen, with poetry

what if she were offered the entire package
to unwrap, not just poems to read

poems are about relationships after all
not just 154 sonnets to entertain us
not written as academic assignments

written within relationships
like words exchanged in conversation

as liquid, as alive as that, as vital as water, as air

river flowing through a city, flows out to sea
Stratford upon Avon

ii.
layers of friendship, one at a time to remove

until I am, until we are
at the heart of the artichoke, of the onion

sounds of these not as sweet as she is

she does not like her given name

iii.
is she considering, examining
to see if she and I fit, if I fit the mystery
if she and I fit mysteriously

might we, by divine decree, to an extreme degree

what of the possibility of her and me, combined
being like a drink which never was

as refreshing as could be
for the thirst of the world
would we, could we be drink for all the world

or should we, selfishly, drunk ourselves
night after night, until we die

she knows what’s on my bank accounts
nothing much

I’m unable to impress financially
unable to lie about what’s in the bank
she is my banker, she sees me bare

what have I to offer, in addition to song


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
Written between 10:48 a.m.
Monday, May 11 and 2:32 a.m.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009