The man of my dream
Has hair the colour
Of this month’s roadside
Tree stalks and shrubbery
Sandy cinnamon red
Driven through
In afternoon sun
As I set out to find him:
The engineer for my art
My giant Canadian maple leaf
Would Eye like
a Younger Man?
Someone from My Children’s Generation
or does age really matter?
Last night I dreampt
of a dark-haired, bright-eyed gentleman
who held My Hand in an open carriage
and kissed the back of it
each time He said something
Eye have had My Fill
of wedding rings
& long black hairs
dislodged from corners,
bed & bath
The man is Mine —
if He is a Man —
and I cannot live
the single life
What is the significance
of the smell of a worn tee shirt
worn one night
by an estranged husband?
The smell of comfort?
No.
The smell of sex?
No.
The smell of age?
No.
The smell of possession?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
What are The Extremities
of The Human Body
but The Rays of A Star?
The trick is to hold Your Power
over someone’s head
without bashing in
His Skull
Dr Blair was surprised
I didn’t end up
in a dumpster in New York —
Well — he’ll be a lot more
surprised
when Eye end up
as The New Darling
of The Black Revolution
Today Eye saw
The Other Lolita
and managed to stare Her down
She tried to look me through and through
and took My Smile
above My Frown
Bereft of family
I would like My Own Baby —
but The Father?
There would be no father.
Baby would be immaculate.
How’bout Them Apples?
Yes Eye got Dr Blair
OUT
He doesn’t belong HERE
any more
if He cannot COME
on MY TERMS
Eye don’t want him
at all
Joanna Gilman Hyde 