(for) red nails

i want you
but as you are:
abstract and distant.
the underside of the bandage
(with the pins and cherries)
has me worried.
but then i'm anxious
about the little things.
you seem relatable
but only in the sense
of connecting with
the images
and text. what about
the real communication
between real people:
for example, "pass the salt."
"will do" you reply.
But what do your eyes say
when they meet that boy
at the altar rail - is he the one?
can he move with you
or will he be tied to the teachings
of the church and merely take
you as an implement of his beliefs?
to bed with the bread. with the blood.
what to make of siblings
and rivalries. are there brothers
who want your way with words? sisters
who forget who came first?
this is not a catalogue
not an inventory
i want a connection
with the stems and limbs
the stains and saturated color
that hides in the ink of the black.
you have enviable ankles
(not cankles). there is a lean
economy in the way you walk
and work. your subject is you
and in that you may have found
me.

-jim hill (8-13-09)