Jeffrey Eugenides (Middlesex)
The Frail and the Honorable
Counterfeit hearts and rubber bands
unwanted clothes and clammy hands
your reason a juxtapose
in past tense from any land.
I suppose it makes sense
you receive the thorn in your hand
from a rose less watered
and a vase cracked from misuse.
This girl went a wandering
a long time a go
thoughts of a happy life and love
instead a route south to a useless boat
no row.
Happiness is not fake or fostered
it flows like a river in the spring
the fish are flowing the geese are trembling
and all the while your cheeks are glistening.
The qualms you face
should have your hero in place
nurturing and loving with a
sweet embrace
Trouble will follow
a man less honored
with pain and angst
"covered" by lust and rage.
A simple metaphor
for a lost soul in need
as a child you life was worry free
combine your love with
sincerity.
