must be somebody's maybe in poetry

how many pop songs would have totally different meanings
if you transposed “maybe” and “baby” in every single hit?
the line between tame romance and
disturbing ambiguity is actually that razor-thin.

“maybe face… you’ve got the cutest little… maybe face”
he’s not even sure if it’s a face
maybe it’s your back or maybe it’s your knee
but he assures you that it’s cute so
he’s either terribly disingenuous or
suffers from horrifying cognative problems

“oooh, maybe I love your way, everyday”
Frampton wanting to make clear the
daily changability of his love of your way
maybe he loves your way today
maybe he absolutely hates your way tomorrow
this weekend he may be ambivalent
in his feelings toward your way
with every new dawn
a new position in regards to your way

“I just met you, this is crazy but
here’s my number and call me baby”
it evokes something dark
it evokes some kind of diaper fetish thing
adult-sized feety pajamas and pacifiers
bust to move on again

“muh-muh-muh-muh muh-muh-muh-muh
maybe don’t forget my number”
maybe don’t forget Milli’s number
maybe don’t forget Vanilli’s number
maybe don’t forget the number of
whatever two guys actually sang for them
maybe
if the scandal bothers you too much
you might want to throw it right out
maybe

“you know she must be somebody’s maybe
you know she’s got to be somebody’s maybe
she must be somebody’s maybe cuz she’s so fine”
Jackson Browne would just be saying
who knows, maybe she’s the date some guy makes
when the other ones all fall through
she’s got to be someone’s back-up plan
Jackson Browne opines and hell
that’s pretty mean
everyone deserves to be somebody’s first choice

but that’s what you get when you take
two similar works and take them for a spin
the line between tame romance and
disturbing ambiguity is actually that razor-thin.