Our Four feet
for D.A.

time with her for the first time
in duner how long

a long damn time, too damn long

time enough though for her to have added
an inch or two atop her high shoes

woman she is becoming, confronted with
and I as if falling apart, falling apart actually

by beauty weakened
trouble remaining erect

enough with this angle
another view of beauty

dropped the conversation I was having
mouth dropped open, my eyes wide
when she came into view, when I recognized her

what a gift she was, what love I have for her
what love I felt, what have I affected, effected
with words

what buttons pushed
she pushed all of mine at once,
appearing as she did, when she did

I a piano, she played all my keys
white keys, black keys, without lifting a finger
with eyes upon me, with a smile

said so many things, asked so many questions

are you pleased to see me
see me now
what have we--what are we

how much better we know each other
since poetry

with pen like beaks of hens, penetrated eggs
and all hatched

something, someone, coming into being

though out of view,
how well we’ve come to know each other
how close we've grown

as fortunate as Picasso after all
muse like this to make my heart race
to give imagination wings

I was a happy man last evening
seeing her, with her to chat with

did I confess love wordlessly, was I bare,
transparent

she was somewhat naked also
her book open--did I read correctly

she lets my eyes go over her poetry
poem she is

allows me to translate that
into Shakespeare's English
or push him aside, shove him aside
like I should anything which stand between us

like that wall Frost erects and takes down
in one same breath

are her clothes a wall between us or mine
or her age or mine

what to do to get through to her
words all I have to enter her with

looked at her leaving in white pants
which fit her so well, reveal her so well

missed Walcott’s reading and interview
missed them entirely

came back, she said, to see me
saw her, thought I was dreaming
I was so happy


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
3:20 a.m. 13.11.09