Prices and Flesh by James Oliver Smith

This was published in Issue 4, in 1998, when we were still Voices from the Well. There are some indentations that didn't come through onto the blog.


Prices and Flesh


Contact
with someone else
How I would love that
but at what price
what little white lies
would I have to
tell
what favors would I have
to lay out on the
table of my relationships
what balance sheet
would I have to
generate reports on
what body language
acrobatics
would I need to
demonstrate
in order to feel
the touch of flesh
It's all here
within my arms
within my mind
within my thoughts
ready to dispense to
the first taker
Unconditionally
unfiltered
unlimited
unmoderated
but the flesh is hooked to all the
social
Mechanics
of vanity and
industrial
efficiency
so my skin
settles
cold
in the lake of its own
passions