Could I lick the whole thing, like a plate?

People said, "Hey. Cute face." They said,
"Hey man, you have a pretty face."
And, "That's a really beautiful face
you have on the front of your head.

I bet you hear that all the time, though."
Fact, is, I did. I also heard, "Hey guy,
That's a great big hairy red beard
you have on the lower part of the front

of your head, and your nose like a bird
poised on top of a bush, and your two gray
eyes--I don't even know what to say,"
shouted from the window of a passing cab

from time to time when I was young.
At the clubs I heard, "What a face.
Could I lick the whole thing, like a plate?
Would it be okay if I hugged your head?"

Now that I'm older it happens less
and the tone is often moribund:
"Friend, you have a good face there.
Would you like to be my friend?"

They inspect the shape of my head
in silence now--keep to themselves
how they feel. They say, "Nice feet,"
but I can tell that they're just being nice.

[Aaron Belz, 'nice feet', from Lovely, Raspberry]