Yours Truly
by Shoshauna Shy
One glance at your smile
and I pity every woman
who has swayed in the circle
of your arms; every tank-topped
schoolgirl who met your banter
in biology lab, then your lips
behind the boathouse; every
drama club lead, soccer star,
National Merit Finalist for whom
you built a bonfire or escorted
to the vineyard; all the college
co-eds in the sailing club
and on your dormitory floor
who held you on a motorcycle,
docked your boat, met Mom
& Dad, fed your Labrador.
I pity every pony-tailed
green-eyed filly whose breath
was sweet as lilacs; every San
Diego blonde in tennis whites
you swept to your chest;
any Nova Scotia import whose
jeans you unzipped at apple
harvests; your seasons a
symphony of ‘say when,’
‘I will’ and ‘always,’ of ‘yes’ and ‘now’
and ‘let me’s,’ no lull in tilting grins,
rippled laughter, cinnamon
whispers; the carpet always rolled
out red; the ship continually
arriving; the whole world wishing,
willing, ready to be yours.
~ first published in The Baltimore Review
by Shoshauna Shy
One glance at your smile
and I pity every woman
who has swayed in the circle
of your arms; every tank-topped
schoolgirl who met your banter
in biology lab, then your lips
behind the boathouse; every
drama club lead, soccer star,
National Merit Finalist for whom
you built a bonfire or escorted
to the vineyard; all the college
co-eds in the sailing club
and on your dormitory floor
who held you on a motorcycle,
docked your boat, met Mom
& Dad, fed your Labrador.
I pity every pony-tailed
green-eyed filly whose breath
was sweet as lilacs; every San
Diego blonde in tennis whites
you swept to your chest;
any Nova Scotia import whose
jeans you unzipped at apple
harvests; your seasons a
symphony of ‘say when,’
‘I will’ and ‘always,’ of ‘yes’ and ‘now’
and ‘let me’s,’ no lull in tilting grins,
rippled laughter, cinnamon
whispers; the carpet always rolled
out red; the ship continually
arriving; the whole world wishing,
willing, ready to be yours.
~ first published in The Baltimore Review
