What if I should write a quaint poem worthy of you?
would the world survive the astonishment of its lines?
what if each unpredicted phrase shone deep & true
would you instantly grasp what heart flirts in its signs?
O but what should the poem declare? might it extoll
how pure happiness in the curve your smile resides?
ought the verse proceed to bewail your injured toe?
might it recollect the gentle wash of Malibu tides?
say we dawdle beside a salt wave that astounds us
can our words nab the exactitude of its grace?
when a universe boasting cotton clouds surrounds us
& in this world what if I glimpse the ravishing face
of a love whom I can address in inadequate lines?
the benighted soul for such perfect poetry pines
