i want mutual suspicion. an agreed upon distastefor optimism. for goals.
when we meet, i want a handshake.a smile, real & gentle, but wary. a shrewd eye
to eye. if a glint, so be it. but i’m neither askingnor gifting.
i gave the last of my polite laughsrelationships ago. i like cats
for their earned intimacy, their requisitelistening. the respect in learning
their themness without presumption. or elsethe claws, the teeth
when all along, buried under patience: the purr.the nuzzle. the tender kneading.
Gordon Mitchell Smith is a poet, writer, and wine professional. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Palette Poetry, The American Journal of Poetry, Columbia Poetry Review, The Los Angeles Review, MumberMag, and elsewhere. He lives in Santa Monica, California.…
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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, May/June 2023