What to Write When a Bath is too Beautiful

This poem is for Jim Moore, in honor of the poem “What to Write When a Landscape is too Beautiful.” I’m meeting Jim tonight at school. I’ve read his book Lightning at Dinner so many times I know that he mentions sparrows 42 times in it. He’s amazing. Maybe if I move to Italy and get a flat overlooking sparrow filled trees and orange clay tiles with a sparkling sea in the distance and if I ate gillatto every day I could be half as good.

So here’s the poem, which my professor called pretentious and self-conscious. I think she's wrong. I think it's pretty. Brilliant? Probably not. I'll revise it. Pretty? Yes.

What to Write When a Bath is too Beautiful
For Jim Moore

You do not need to say
hot water
frosted skylight
shuffling snowflakes
steamed tiles
curved porcelain
lovely body
melting salts.

Forgive my not moving
for a pen and paper
to write of
jasmine oil,
jasmine oil,
jasmine oil.