H e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s b e r g

N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i v e s E d i t i o n

ANNE WALDMAN

Obedience & The Rose

I do yes I do I promise to love & placate Mister/Mrs in times of trial and propitiate the gods of language if they exist & sometimes I would doubt this of marriage obey yes I do I promise to trust the stairs we daily climb to trust the floor we'll walk on putting heavier objects than ourselves upon & yes I do promise to be beautiful to be the arranger of the domus hold a mirror up to nature in all I arrange & to love and obey the walls the ceiling the bed the shelves & take care of Mister/Mrs in sickness the shock of & wearying & destabilization of & there will always be sickness & will not force any rooms any nouns to weep any things to weep I will be the epitome of domesticity in the arrangements & maintenance of material stuff & I will not weep I will walk I will walk with you & I will I will stumble with you about the things the nouns of the house.

[Originally published in NHS 2000, http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs00/waldman.html.]