More Poetry

Fever
Paul Grant

God, I hope she's straight.
I hope she never met the Devil
at a crossroads in the Delta
and traded her soul
for a full-octave span on both
and a barrel of tricks in the right.
I hope she's not poisoned already
against other dreamers-like me,
for instance-and I hope
no one poisons her later, or if
it has to happen, I hope it isn't me.

I hope she doesn't just do covers
forever and ever, song without end,
though now that I think about it,
that wouldn't be so bad: Romance
in the Dark and Just a Little Bit of Rain,
say, with acoustic bass-no drums.
I hope she goes on kneading harmony
out of our dissonance with her hands,
and I hope those hands find something

of their own that lasts.

Mostly I hope she's straight.