Miami
for Ed. Baynard
buildings blend
into the sky the work
goes on
from where we left off
and consciousness, by rights,
is doors and windows
a spritz of color
in this life
is what we can expect
if we can expect anything
and a breeze or two
a quiet day a little sun
that 5-letter word "money"
relying on no one
for pleasure
than the weather and the then
discovered leisure
to lean a little
into more than can be expected
let me explain
we feel the heart
against the ribs
we feel the leg
against the chair
we feel two eyes linked as one
looking into your two
and rubbing your brow
like a finger
taking the sweat lengthwise
off the brow and drying the forehead
which is suddenly your
we feel the nouns make emotions
out of a sense of easiness
the ability to relax
the desire to simplify
what we suddenly discover
is meant
because we haven't paid attention
to exemplify something
what it is, we forget
we know it was something special
something out of the ordinary
a nagging something or other
stupidly repeating itself
in a vague way
on the sill
when we think the water still
that's the silliest thing
I ever heard of
hearing everything through
the air conditioner above
the bottom line
Copyright Credit: Ted Greenwald, "Miami" from Common Sense. Copyright © 2016 by Ted Greenwald. Reprinted by permission of Wesleyan University Press.
Source: Common Sense (Wesleyan University Press, 2016)