Jee Leong Koh

God introduced himself to Adam with a finger

God introduced himself to Adam with a finger.
All of Adam stumbled forth to meet in his finger.

My eyes are hooks but cannot hold his body’s hem.
If only I could get close and reach with my fingers.

What word can bottle the sweet crush of his mouth
when grapefruit spills down the bevel of my fingers?

If the animals are to be saved in seven pairs,
the ark will learn to count on human limbs and fingers.

Watch me, Dad, watch me. I can hold my breath in water,
my mouth plugged by a cock, my nose and ass by fingers.

Two civilizations finally get in touch.
To honor that event I wear a necklace of fingers.

Although Jee wishes love to hold him in its arms,
he will not scorn the handling of desire’s fingers.

The square root of minus money is a movie.
Applying for a green card is not a movie.

Marriage is between a woman and a man,
Miss USA replies, and smiles. This is a movie.

When illegal dies in American detention,
his name becomes a number. This is not a movie.

The Terminator repeats, I’ll be back, and back
he comes and blasts the baddies up. This is a movie.

The small country I come from crushed itself smaller
by banning citizen videos. This is not a movie.

Two men walk into the officers’ mess and shout,
We’re getting married, everyone! This is a movie.

Can’t stay but I’ll call you, a country promises.
Jee has been waiting since. This is not a movie.

Morning I sat in bed and opened up a book,
put it down, picked another, put down a fourth book.

Iowa decides for gay marriage today.
So proud of his home state, he writes on Facebook.

The sun is shining but I am in shadow here.
The bulk has fallen from the binding of the book.

What can I say to you? How will you take my words?
The real question: how does alone advance our book?

There was too little to begin with. (Or too much.)
Two dates are not enough for writing a good book.

That is the lesson of the sun. Except the nights
instruct me how to press the sun into my book.

Because I dare not tell you what possesses Jee,
my heart has written up my suffering in a book.