8 Petals of A Flower
for Aitana Alberti
& Nancy Morejón

i.
with blinders on in pursuit of verse
unable to look to right or left
unable to reverse

ii.
the price of meals on time
rusty nuts and bolts, unable to turn

iii.
developing a taste for liver, for living, for life
late in the night, liver and cassava
and black beans and rice

iv.
don’t want to be a footstool any more
want to be a headrest

are you deserving of such a promotion

v.
no longer do I write down water
I write down wine

vi.
the turning of the pages of the story of life
flowers in abundance boiled down to a drop

vii.
attach herself to me
screw herself into my ceiling like a bulb

viii.
baby with his mother’s breast
sucking himself to sleep
sucking his lights out


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
May 27, 2009