i am weak for fine speech
and fine company.
a weakness i critize of myself
but subjunctive to it, still.

while we all want silk underwear
we put them on over dirty feet.
as we lay-low with words of love
supplanting them by words of hate.

sheer silk hides the anguish of eczema;
lotion of love-words dried, hard.
so, lovers talk of walks, beaches,
reading newspapers.

and never once hear each other
as they chatter away.
i, me, mine, the most chosen
of the English language.

03/21/2005