i.
ants that we are, wiped out in an instant
can we be as humble as ants are little
as ants are helpless
light enough to float upon the waves of life
come hell or high water
come rain or come shine
ii.
do nations unite or do they divide
certainly facilitate name calling
Haitian, Jamaican
this Englishman
that Russian
iii.
fragility of the state in which we abide
as fragile as the plates
out of which we eat
as the cups out of which we drink
can drop any minute, can crack up anytime
this world we’re in
this globe we’re on
upon a saucer spinning
•••
Obediah Michael Smith has published thirteen books of poems, a short novel and a cassette recording of his poems. He has published widely in journals, and his work has been translated into Spanish and included in anthologies and journals in South America, Mexico and Spain.
tongues of the ocean 