Sydney Lea: To Sydney Lea, Whom I Found Online
Your name is mine exactly, weird spelling and all. However,
I’m male, not in my twenties, and if I was ever hot,
No use to pretend so now. Do you get enough modeling jobs?
You are surely young and stunning. And yet I find myself wondering
If you’re ever a little embarrassed by the near-porn poses you strike.
.
You must get tired of requests from witless strange men to meet up.
I’m not sure how come I believe you aren’t what they hope you are.
I even infer you’re respectful of yourself, perhaps even modest.
You don’t know me–how would you?– but what about Sydney Lea,
Female too, the author of Cowboy Interrupted–
Which of course I didn’t write and am not inclined to read?
.
The book’s cover features its own soft-pornographic image:
Said cowboy, visible only from jaw to huge-buckled belt,
His denim shirt unbuttoned to reveal impossibly etched
Abdominal muscles, which seem a must now for macho erotics.
I’ve known some real-life cowboys, but none ever dressed like that.
Montana, Wyoming, Dakotas: the weather’s rarely conducive.
.
That Sydney, Australian composer of steamy romance novels,
Doesn’t imagine her hero interrupted, you’d likely agree,
From castrating calves or whatever. Maybe you’ve read from her oeuvre.
I don’t mean to get in touch with her. It’s just in a poem
That I do so here with you. I’m only a happy old grandpa
With a longtime wife who would give you a very good run for your money
.
For looks, when I married that girl– like you, just 27.
In my eyes she’s still as lovely, within as well as without,
And trust me, that’s saying something. I don’t expect a response.
I was simply intrigued that our names shared spellings, first and last.
I bet at least one of mine will be carved all wrong on my headstone.
I won’t care. The time for maintaining pretense will be long past.
.
In fact, you make me think I should scrap any pose right now.
Thank you. If only I’d thought to do so when I was your age.
Sydney Lea was Poet Laureate of Vermont from 2011-2015. His most recent collection of poems, No Doubt the Nameless, is available from Four Way Books.
