Heartbeat Purple Beets
for D.A.

i.
impact of a woman upon a man
not at all adulterated

artificial the fact that she’s in school
or that for five weeks recently, three hours
each Thursday, she was in a workshop I lead

I was instead in her workshop, in it still
been in it ever since I noticed her body
all her attempts to hide it, revealed

could see it, see her, through whatever clothes she wore

like a doll in a dog’s mouth, she shakes me similarly

able to reach through social construction,
lies, hypnotism, to where we are awake, alike, alive

ii.
blood inside us, leaping still, like predator,
like what is preyed upon, fleeing, twisting, turning

hyenas, warthogs, all with their ways to go
just like us, our days and theirs numbered
what will we do with days, do in them

must eat, drink, sleep, reproduce
beneath our clothes, within our prisons, our social roles,
our blood, nonstop, pumping

our hearts beating, lungs filling up and emptying
must act, must do, must be
without end, fearing our lungs collapsing
our last heartbeat

so many lifetimes within her contained
ancient as the world going round

arms, thighs about me, as natural, as naturally,
as the moon in the night, big and bright


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
1:20 p.m. 19.08.09