Poetry

Untitled

Woman, you defeat me
And my God, have I struggled,
Like a flapping trout
To forget you

Your smile is tyranny,
Your hair joyous like LSD
(orange tending towards red)
Your body hits my mind like Hiroshima

Woman, i have battled with your image:
Sulked through dark alleyways, drunk myself poetic,
Stared goblin-eyed at the ceiling

Your name became my mantra

Woman, i have scratched my palms raw
Watching boy after boy
Hold your hand in the street

I have grimaced at the chatter of lovers
Feeling my own love grow spikes
And I've kicked the thought of you
behind the cupboard

But

Without you the world spins on an
awkward axis
Your voice ticks with the clock on the wall
(and i need you, oh yes, i need you)

Anonymous, Rhodes University English Poetry Wall, May 1996