Suit by Jonathan Mueller
If you’re only good on paper
Then why can’t I draw that face
In light you say is so forgiving?
But I’ve seen you in sunlight and dark,
And you float before me in solitude.
That face, I can’t draw it, though I know it by heart.
If you and I are only first impressions
Then we must impress anew daily, by minute,
Secondly.
You’re all first impression to me.
I learn you and learn the world in each sitting.
If your mind isn’t right
It’s because it’s inside mine.
Our gray matter is all mixed up, which
Is sure to cause confusion.
And when your heart flutters, it’s no defect.
Part of yours is lodged in my chest, you see.
Maybe it flutters for freedom, or flutters for complete encapsulation.
It’s all relative, I suppose,
If we move too fast.
Nothing moves faster than light, the old man said,
And you and I are nothing but light and air these days.
And yet, your light folds space
And makes 887 miles an inch, a millimeter,
A phase, only vibrations away.
And as we approach C
Time stops
Just stop time
Let me learn you
Let me have enough time
World enough, and time
So much world, so little time
Spend time with me
All of it
Chicago is an enormous city, and it wasn’t surprising that the Missed Connections forum there was very active – comparable to New York City or San Francisco. However, unlike those other locations, it was surprisingly rare to find any sort of poetry or creative writing. This piece is from a few years ago, and it may be the last sample from Chicago that I have saved.
