Love Poem

by: Jack Ridl

"[He] makes the smallest talk I've ever heard." -John Woods

The smaller the talk the better.
I want midgets in my mouth.
I want to sit with you and have us
Solemnly delight in dust; and one violet;
And our fourth night out;
And buttonholes. I want us
To spend hours counting dog hairs,
And looking up who hit .240
In each of the last ten years.
I want to talk about the weather;
And detergents; and carburetors;
And debate which pie our mothers made
The best. I want us to shrivel
Into nuthatches, realize the metaphysics
Of crossword puzzels, wait for the next
Sports season, and turn into sleep
Holding each other's favorite flower,
Day, color, record, playing card.
When we wake, I want us to begin again
Never saying anything more lovely than garage door.