appealing

The Maynard
Fall 2018

Steven Ray Smith
0:00
 
 

Phantom

Yesterday I flailed
beyond proxemics,
me and my big mass of gaudy.
Watching you step back showed me
how brightly I thought I shined.

Today my arm throbs
with the pulse of nakedness.
I hunt for my catchpenny
pound, my free hand groping
for the preciousness that had only ever been
a pennyweight.

What happened was I let myself
dawdle on a towel for a simple hour,
laugh at nothing, feel you
joggling the bangle
and my palm and fingers with it.
The insouciant sand filches everything.

So there
it went,
and with it
yesterday’s
emolument.

If you find it
don’t tell me.
Don’t give it back.