Poem: Flirt

Flirt

The flower is the part that
saves. Spare me the
stamen I want

vibrato, scent, the elevation of
pleasure the buzz of
colored lights I want
customer service and
orioles.

How do we know what a
waste of time a
waste of time is?

(Your voice has worn a

groove in my skin.)

A peal of laughter from the
big-boned girl in blue,
eyeshadow, mascara, those teeth!
A trail of petals across the
tiles a song.

Spring: The Journal of the E.E. Cummings Society From the collection Fields of Satchmo
Photo by MJV