Crystal Flowers

i.
artificial hair but who cares
as pretty as can be anyway

though I wonder what her actual hair is like
hair there usually not tampered with
unless shaved off, unless removed

like hair sprouting in armpits
not allowed to become too bushy,
two bushes to ramble in, ramble through

young boys with sling shots looking for birds
and for berries

wild things run fast, wrote Joni Mitchell
wild not allowed, not permitted

what’s tame/who’s tame to join the team
otherwise excluded

who willing to play on the wild side
against the wild side

boxing with Tyson when he was starting out
when he was fighting for recognition
before he was rich, was spoilt

you entered the ring at your own risk
got into a cage with who might as well
had been a tiger, panther, animal with claws,
with paws

as swift with his punches
he’d make the heads of the best boxers snap back
until their lights went off, went out

want her wild instead of artificial
her own hair, however rough, however coarse

as rough as seas in roughest weather
to cross

however much or however wildly
it tossed my dinghy

ii.
out of no where, pretty appearing
turns up, shows up

unlike something ordered arriving
out of the blue arriving, shows up
like surprise

reward arriving without charge
unable to believe my eyes, my good fortune

money received earlier, minutes before
for books to come, not as pleasing to me
not as great a reward as her showing up
turning up

turn up the soup in the pot with a big spoon
bring to the surface salt beef, sweet potato, dry conch
eddy, bread fruit

bits and pieces I like best
sort of food which makes the mouth water

she as pleasing to me, as pleasing to see

wish I were able to get to know her
get to see her as often as I liked

she the main course as well as the dessert of life

after I’d have had my soup from the pot
soup in a bowl, I could have Eliot’s
tea and cakes and ices

out of her eyes, out of her mouth
all the sweets of this world I could find in her arms

someone as lovely as she is to arm myself with
I could live 500 weeks longer
every day of the week
every week of the year

iii.
straight forth, come forth, poem of Crystal,
one she can appreciate, can understand

art in which she’s able to recognize herself

I got to turn her about, got her to turn about
with words, with truth

in awe, adorable
one in ordinary uniform, store clerk

what must her employer have thought
when she showed up, when he saw her

was he as besides himself as I was
when I first set eyes upon her

did he have to struggle to contain himself
not to give himself away like I did

carried away and unable to hide it
fascinated and wanting her to know it

employer had to downplay excitement
over the possibility of her joining his staff

I want her to join the residents of my heart

I could even evict a person or two
to make room that she’d be comfortable

I must order a bed immediately
for her to sleep over whenever she wishes

what a day it would be if she decided to move in
move about the furniture to her liking

she can even change the curtains
whatever color drapes she wishes hung
with their drawstring

she could have the room that’s my heart
all to herself if she wishes, if she wished it

iv.
out of the blue can come, can appear
the most beautiful girl in all the world

want such a one, come out of the blue
to come into my life

break the veil between myself and the world
and just get lost among the pages of the book
that’s me

or among the sheets upon the line
among the sheets and spread

the layers of enjoyment, night after night
in bed produces, provides

want to divide a cup cake in two
and give her half, feed her with it

her to divide in two to hold her
to hold me, to make us hold
to make us whole

v.
knew I’d have been hemorrhaging poems
in response, the moment I saw her

could not believe my eyes
someone so pretty appearing out of nowhere

used to be Mademoiselle
Norman Solomon was alive then

what’s lovely goes on after Shakespeare
after William Blake

for whichever living poets to appreciate
glad I am around still, glad I was there today

to prevent her showing up in vein
to prevent beauty going unappreciated

someone about always to sing of loveliness
to praise Him, to praise it


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
Written between 8 p.m. and 9:14 p.m.
on Tuesday, August 4, 2009