I love to squeeze

your body. Surrounded by chaotic air

I feel the peace

of a mountainside

making its granite recovery from the earth.

Sitting in our apartment this morning

I could pass for a good citizen

one of those people in a political ad

talking about mutant senatorial elk

my face not handsome, but reliable.

The camera could zoom in

on us, a white man

and a black woman,

they could perfectly dehumanize us

to convey a message of hope and racial unity.

We could read slogans about our uniqueness

written by a college intern

on her summer break.

After living here two weeks

I still feel lost in our apartment,

shelves filled with your books,

walls covered with

your favorite paintings. People do

stupid things on the internet at two a.m.

but last night I ate healthy food

and read about your favorite charity.

I squeeze your body lasciviously

if only because your breaths are familiar,

if this was our political ad

I would be talking about the sales tax

on a nuclear warhead

but everyone would be watching

my hand around your waistline.

 

***

 

Benjamin Schmitt’s poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Grist Journal, Solo Novo, The Monarch Review, Blue Lyra Review, Packingtown Review, and elsewhere. His first book was published in 2013 by Kelsay Books. It is entitled The global conspiracy to get you in bed. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife where he teaches workshops to both children and adults.