Cross Sticks
for D.B.A.

i.
death will come for me soon enough
and carry me and carry us away

death will come for us soon enough
soon enough our time will be up
soon enough we'll be made to-
forced to take our leave

oh who in this life do we inadvertently offend
while we deliberately, aggressively even
seek to make someone whom we love happy

on the other side of love, hate, animosity
generated without intending it

along with what's immediately beside
what we intend to cultivate, to cause to increase
in the world, more love

love on the one side, on the one hand
war on the other

war we did not wish to wage
war our wages anyway

ii.
when you are bumped into
and who is in the next boat
which happened into you
in the night or in the day
in the middle of the sea
or in mid-ocean and is cross
and wants to cuss, wants to fuss
and calls out and comes to look
desiring a fight, be certain that
what they bump into is an empty boat

who then to fight with
or to cross swords or to cross sticks with

it is upon paper
where I do most of my lovemaking
here as well, where my boxing matches
my wrestling matches are staged
among words is where my wars are waged

blood on the battle field is either black or blue

I used to mark books
used to spill an abundance of red ink

even that oftentimes was like combat
resulting in animosity, in antipathy


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2010
Written on Tuesday, August 17, 2010
between 4:15 p.m. and 5:33 p.m.