Irene Winds
just like that, in no time flat
the cover off the bottle
and there is a hurricane
blowing, howling like holy hell
and you haven't a choice
you have to drink,
you have to swallow
who took the cap off
deliberately or accidentally
who or what let this out, set this off
my God, I hope my sons,
their mother and all of their siblings
are safe and sound
don't know what
the house they abide in can withstand
what, I wonder, has caused
all hell to break loose
this is a visitation, a visitor
far worse than Columbus
than Ponce de Leon
what change
will have been visited upon us
in a day or two
among this archipelago of islands
© Obediah Michael Smith, 2011
7:53 p.m. 25.08.11
In Love & Left Out
of L.M.
i.
can I make your cell phone
vibrate in your jeans pocket
wherever you are, whoever you're with
were you prepared for me
to want you like this
to need you like this
to need to reach you out of the blue
out in the deep, needing to know
if you're out fishing, out to lunch
out on the town, out of town
out of your clothes, out of your skin
or out of your mind
I am out of my mind or almost
over needing to make contact
to know exactly where you are
what you're doing
where could you be, who could you be with
why I've not heard from you
I had to go and fall in love and be left out
out in the cold as hot as it is
my baby, nowhere to be found
pen alone to seek you
no cell phone, no cell phone number
to make your phone
in your jeans pocket
vibrate when I dial your number
when we parted at the bus stop
I hadn't a clue it would have been this long
this gap
between then and when next we met
this unexpected separation
am I in your heart and thoughts
to the degree, to the extent
that you are haunting me,
causing me to ache and long
to pine and yearn, sick with missing you
from how much I'm missing you
here imagining, someone else
is holding you, keeping you, kissing you
who was it who called while we were out
who interrupted our date
who has your cell phone number
when I don't
connected to you, when I'm not
ii.
so you have become another one
of the few persons, I suffer to see
bleeding poems, weeping poems
peeing poems in the interim
to fill in the space, to fill in the time
difficult, the times to live through
that I must live through
without you
without a word, without a sign
without a bit of knowledge
of your whereabouts
© Obediah Michael Smith, 2011
Written between 7:10 p.m. and 7:48 p.m.
on Monday, August 22, 2011
1850
for E.M.T. & L.M.
i.
Ellen
who told you
that this was a poetic moment
that this was a poetic place
wherever the poet reaches
whenever she or he arrives
place, time, pierced by poet's mind
by poet's pen becomes poetic
poetic is whatever, wherever, whomever
a poet baptizes in verse, whenever
how does place and time differ
in the eyes, in the hands
of just anyone with a camera
snapping pictures, compared with
when Steve McCurry arrives
or when Henri Cartier-Bresson leaves
with what he has filled his eyes with
when and after his camera clicks
can a place- a time resist
being made art of,
being poetize, being baptized
when art, when artist comes along
to bless it
to make time and place blessed
look at where Georgia O'Keeffe went
look at what, at where
she chose to make art of
to make art-love, to love with art
want to take back the earth
make it- cause it to spin art-wards,
art-ways - take it away
from the unholy day
creation is more and more becoming
in the hands of world leaders
misleading us, whirling this world
around the wrong way
and us with it, in it, on it
wheel of the world in the fists of convicts
in danger, all of us
for all of us, the risk of going over a cliff
around the next bend
up the next precipice
art hands, artists' hands to drive us
to steady the spinning world
important that its turning is not felt
important to be able to look out
at the horizon, where sea meets sky
look out and see that straight line
this meeting is, this meeting makes
ii
Lasheena
how delicious you looked
I wanted to see it all
I wanted to eat it all
I wanted to lick the dish
oh, all over you, one single skin
eyes over you like hands over you
visit every bit, every inch, every part
would your heart beat fast
were you exposed like this
eyes to clothe you in,
to take you in, to drink you down
up to my neck, up to my chin
or out in the deep of you
I'd have to swim or I could drown
I could go down
I'd need to come up for air
might choose not to
tragedy or salvation
to perish in the dish that you are
that you're in
in your bowl of soup
soup dish to sip from
to have supper from
am I beating around the bush again
must I get to the point
come to the point
or lose the attention you pay so well
I want to see you naked
I want to kiss you
suck your breasts nipples
without a stitch of clothes on
what I wonder
would it be like together
too far too fast
I must tell you what I'm thinking
where my mind went
where eyes- hands want to roam
where I wish to plant kisses
© Obediah Michael Smith, 2011
Written between 2:00 p.m. and 7:46 p.m.
on Saturday, August 20, 2011
On Sandy Feet
for A.G.M.W.
i.
like you fat, lick you fat
what it is, I am unaware, that flesh affects
more to eat, more for me
more meat upon the bone
is what it is about or largely about or a lot about
a lot instead of a little
that is what you have become
though you are short, what a lot of woman
what a serious amount of you to love
that though is still but a part of it
way you are able to turn, to twist
what you are able to do with your legs
and arms, your eyes and hips
what a variety of postures to run through, swiftly
like scales to play in harmony
and in contrary motion
remember the notes on the piano
when I took lessons
with Meta Davis-Cumberbatch's sister
notes along your spine to play
though I can just look at you and tingle
Vladimir Horowitz comes to mind
his recital upon returning to Russia
after having been in exile for over 60 years
what feels almost as long
is my time of hands-off where you are concerned
used to look without a word expressed
or with a word or two here or there or now or then
now assume time is right or not giving a damn
if it is or not, make the most of you
taste of you, eat of your forbidden fruit
what if it drips- what if it stains
where and when your juices run or drop or drip
let me be caught, what do I care
with evidence in my hands and mouth
every time we've met, earth has seemed
like some other planet
or as if we were butterflies or humming birds
in mid-air, dancing, wings vibrating without ceasing
unable, in your presence, to be still or to keep still
without fail, something spills
what magic beans you fill my hands and pockets with
able to enchant, able to bewitch
ii.
you could get hungry there
hungry for something
hungry for supper
to suck her
to fuck her
she could want it
once she's had it
and could salivate to take
and to taste it
silent as a woman is
about such needs
a pussy could scream
could cry, could cry out
for a man, for wood
for manhood,
for mankind
for the kindness of a man
iii.
ah, the weight of those
the way to those
waiting to be bare
to bear witness
two bare breasts
nipples protruding
invitation extended
to lick and suck them
what are they like bare
are they like beer
to suck down - to drunk me
to drink until intoxicated
could I take it
if she dropped her draws
discarded brassiere
whirling it and then letting it fly
and land however, wherever
naked before me to adore
to get down on my knees before
V the other way around, up-side-down
to get to the peak of
steeple of the church of love
to venture up into
to love her, to have her
to let her have me
to satisfy her deep yearning
deep need
need I, with what I write,
with songs I sing, ignite in her
light my fire, keep it burning
and I comply
obliged to do so
love to do so
oh how sick I fear I am
do not know with what
know that hours masturbating
hours watching Bat Masterson
have contributed
to what I have come to
I am like something nearly spent
stumble upon her this late in life
just becoming- just become a woman
I look at her, I see her and I want her
how well we relate
from the moment we met
we were friends - what simpatico
only just become of age
and I am hungry, thirsty, horny for her
the right picture or pictures to assist
and I hang on in there
until I have the fits
wish we could have the fits together
I inserted deep in her
could pin her if she got too wild
pin her to the mattress of the bed
with my dick in her
let her flutter until she was finish
until I had come and she had come
until we were both spent
and we could both, upon our backs
panting, collapse, relax
having made love
like a basket weaver
weaves a basket
goes to the market
fills it with fruit
pumpkin, cabbage, carrots, beets
tomatoes, sweet potatoes, yams
sugar apples, sour sop
with her basket on her head
walk home from the market
contented
© Obediah Michael Smith, 2011
Written between 7 p.m.,
Monday, August 15
and 1:27 p.m., Tuesday,
August 16, 2011
Hope Town
for Anna Albury
bursting out of her blindness
that enthusiastic about life
that in love with life, with living it
with getting on, with going places
see Ray Charles on YouTube, singing
"Hit the Road Jack,"
think of how expressive he is or was
how super talented
think of Stevie Wonder
one of my favorite artists
in any field, of any time, in all the world
it is to this group of super stars
super men and super women
that she very likely belongs
well on her way already
appearing in TV as she does
jumping off docks in Abaco
as she does
head girl of her school as she is
all the things she does blind
does what so many who can see
do not
goes where so many with sight
do not dare
she is fearless
forward, it seems,
is what- is all she knows
she is destined to go places
this year she won
most outstanding
primary school student of the year
in The whole Bahamas
determined to transcend her handicap
we all have handicaps
one form or another
some allow theirs to cripple them
incapacitated, go nowhere
crushed from inside or from without
hers is a spirit, bubbling up, bubbling over
what in the world is she going to be
hope I am around still to bear witness
seems as if there is no limit
not impossible to touch the sky
it is where she came from, that is evident
without sight but what light she brings
what an extraordinary person
bouncing along, over-exuberant
eager to continue
destination to get to
light to get to, heights to get to
what holds us back
to get over, to get through
© Obediah Michael Smith, 2011
12:23 p.m. 15.07.11
