In Truth, You’re Still in Love (with Addie Smith)

Not the kind of girl you’d fight for
the kind you’d end up getting into a fight over.
There’s a photo of her age six crying with an ice cream
7 years later its fingers up outside the Wimpy
with a boy, with a bike, with a tattoo, at 20 outside
the art school that turned her down, I can’t say why
how or even if
you’d never thrown a punch or taken one
I’d wage you would if you went out with Addie Smith

She walks with all her five and nine
Ankle and thigh , chin, neck and hair
And all that’s in between and every part of her
playing catch up , trying to over take
or out do every other part and as she passes
you wouldn’t, couldn’t not notice
and even if
you’re not the type to double take you’d find
you’d turned and heard yourself say “That must be Addie Smith”

wise as moss, happy as heather
clever as a pencil and ready as leather
she fucks like a trucker and smiles like the queen
smells like a Sunday and drinks gasoline
she carries the past on the souls of her shoes
and drives as fast as this mornings news
what you just thought of, she thought of last week its almost as if…
remember you’re weak
you’re still in love with Addie Smith

at 30 she decided to turn her back on everything
and you know that’s a hard thing to do
turn your back on everything on absolutely everything
I mean just spin yourself dizzy
well she turned her back on everything including you
although you had your back turned too
it wasn’t as if
lets face it
you were actually practically factually in love with Addie Smith

and the years trundle by as they do
and we hear a little less say a little less think a little less
a dumb numbness sets in that some call happiness others
idleness the rest forgetfulness and then in the middle of this…
this thickness a spark that reminds us of what it was and is
the punch that brings you back
as if
in miracle or in myth,
the truth, you’re still in love, with Addie Smith

© Jan Noble 2008



Twitter Updates

  • Had to resist pushing a man playing a flute into the river earlier. Might take a walk later to see if either of us has learnt anything new 1 day ago
  • "The day before yesterday I believed in God; today I don't. It's like that sometimes, besides, the day before yesterday was Wednesday" 2 days ago
  • cold coffee and toothache, my fingers scratch like mice on the keys as i push my messages hopefully forward 3 days ago