A receptive woman

Amphibian: Flesh and Air



With quick lips,
A silken nautilus
Sucks you in.


You’re in
A busy room blooming
With passionate lilies
And hot roses. But


In the alcove is a shrine:
Votaries have come,
Have come,
Have come.
Pilgrims, wayfarers
Have come.
You arouse prayers.
Your too full love
Unravels, entwines
The loins of your devotees.


“No-o-o,” you moan,
Drop your cloudless look.
“I can’t limit . . . .”
You didn’t finish,
Of course. On your throne
The orbs of your eyes,
Heavy as globes,
Glow arctic white.


4/22/1981



"Amphibian: Flesh and Air" was first published in Monsters in a Half-way House, 1981.  The persona has entered the habitat of a strange creature that seems to exist by feeding off the physical love of others. The persona is addressing the creature that he or she finds there inside an all-encompassing shell that protects the creature. 
 
 
"In the drawing-room Miss Bell was sketching monsters in imitation of Leonard. She created them, to know what they would say afterward, sure that they would speak and express rare ideas in odd rhythms, and that she would listen to them. It was in this way that she often found her inspiration." -- from The Red Lily by Anatole France
 
I could have used this quotation to introduce my book of poems Monsters in a Half-way House.
 
"Kissed lips do not lose their freshness. . . . the beauty of women is fed on caresses as bees are fed on flowers."--from The Red Lily by Anatole France

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