for T.L.C.
a minute taller
than she is, she claims, no more
is that standing up or lying down
how many minutes in an inch
how many degrees in a mile or two
in an hour or two
dares me to matter more than she does
up with me, is what she boasts of
is what she claims
how intricate, how detailed
the level, the depth of our messages
been down this road before
come along it together again
deepening our understanding
•••
Obediah Michael Smith has published numerous books of poems, the most recent being a bilingual Spanish-English collection released this year, Wide Sargasso Sea and 62 Other Poems, among other works. 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 