Danielle

wanted to plant kisses
all over her pretty skin, her pretty face
wanted to close her eyes with kisses
were I permitted, were I allowed

pretty lovely woman already taken
wasn't when we met a year or so ago

encounter her now armed with husband
with new last name

End of the Affair enters my mind
where the woman's lover was not her husband

cool with her husband, hot with- hot for another man
what a depth of involvement

heard her laugh last evening
deliciously raucous laughter
interesting the need to be tied to be free

in a stretch of conversation, had her to myself
to shoot dice with, play cards with
whip the skipping rope with

her and me in one jumping rope, skipping rope
up and down, up close or almost

wanted to be carried away, was now and then

chin with dimple, eyes, exotic insects
wings like lungs rise, fall, contemplating take off

wanted to go when she was lifting off
light enough to leave with her

late as usual
in another man's arms, in another man's bed
his balls to handle, intimacy impossible

just the intercourse of conversation left to us, allowed
better by far than nothing at all

sweet and pretty woman, fragrant pineapple

you should see my mother, she kept insisting
I must have seen her somewhere

small sphere we live in, circle I go about in with the cultivated

I without end doing my darndest
to be as fragrant as the sweetest people
to be numbered among those who are loveliest

need a woman on my arm also
before a walking cane is the companion I went about with
like Ingmar Bergman when he was already past 80

when he no longer made films
“Franny and Alexander” he thought would be his last
made to look back to- back through his childhood

will I wed before I'm dead, will she be as pretty as this lady
almost too pretty to look upon

what it must be like with her entirely bare
God only knows, her husband and whoever else

they say I am lucky to be able to write poetry
but where's the woman upon a platter
where's the salad dressing


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
2:12 a.m. 27.09.09