Aim To Please
for E.S.

you said don' write bout you
but I want to

sweet of you
penetrates right through

clip clop, horses hooves
heartbeat, words beat
like that

want a poem to gallop
to get to you quickly

ii.
assemble words

what to cause them to adhere
to one peace of paper or to cohere

string them together

what invisible connections
between related persons
between related things

people who are by blood connected
are they by arteries,
by veins connected

people who are by love connected
in a squall of rain
put an umbrella up

one left, one right hand
make fists about a walking stick

iii.
worthy or unworthy of her
is appreciation wasted

on words I pin down
staple to pages with punctuation marks

she wears flat shoes, makes steps
feet rise and fall

how are we attached to earth
are we, are we attached
in what way, by what means

I pick up my pen, I put it down
up or down, I'm writer still

both feet or one foot on the ground
just as much a citizen

as we are when we jump rope
and we're off the ground,
in the air

I've put a poem on paper
to try to please you


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2010
written on Friday,
January 15 2010
between 4:20 and 5:25 p.m.