(i)
It falls down as nectar
making the ground wet with salvation,
I am parched
although it rests on the edge of my lips, beckoning
my vision melting and morphing into all that could beβ
the laughter of the sky fills the night,
as nymphs tread a lovely dance among immortals,
I gaze down and watch
as my body flutters and chases them around ash trees.
(ii)
Savor the taste of bitter truth,
two pieces of the root of the sweet iris
without bark,
one litter of grappa and brown sugar.
Observe as the sun kisses the pieces dry,
pouring ever so slowly like liquid gold
as heaviness of the day is lifted.
For ninety days be placed in a litter of grappa
as time stings and sits on the cuts
and lastly drink, all the lone while, breaking
a little more–
(iii)
Love notes for irises blooming beneath
your bedroom window,
the clouds
no longer grey and cheeks flushed
with the knowledge of arriving decades.
Aphrodite, born from white foam produced
by severed genitals of Uranus,
as the moons of youth spilled once more
into dawn
and we felt ourselves interminable again.
Tell me, why does love sting for those who choose it?
In a heartbeat, she laughed and in a moment I knew.
(iv)
Lay me down
in all my vulnerability, and place an iris
between my hips,
for once
we have tasted eros everything else failsβ
tomorrowβs raindrops
pale in comparison to the fire in your eyes
as they trace my skin,
forbidden songs jagging placid landscapes;
and now, I cannot tear my gaze away.
Photo credits: The Black Iris by Georgia O’Keeffe, Pinterest
I like the progression of the piece. The first line sets you up knowing there will be a fall, and it winds deeper and deeper into the intoxication (and near madness) of love and melancholy in knowing one is well and truly caught.
Thank you so much, Rommy π so glad you enjoyed it πβ€
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) πΉ
Such an epic poem – each verse could be complete within itself
Thank you so much, Jae π so glad you liked it πβ€
Forbidden songs, passion, nectar allthe ingredients for a good concoction of myth. Bravo
Happy Wednesday
Muchββ€βlove
Thank you so much, Gillena π so glad the poem resonated with you πβ€
Happy Wednesday to you too!
Muchπβ€love
I kept going back to salvation falling onto the earth as nectar. I wonder what such ground would grow…
Thank you so much, Magaly π so glad you enjoyed it πβ€
There is no finer wine than love and once tasted you are left thirsty for more. I love the interlinking between each of the stanzas.
Thank you so much, Lori π so glad you liked it πβ€
Oh love potions who doesn’t want to drink from them Gorgeous poem and especially love “cheeks flushed with the knowledge of arriving decades” and ” as the moons of youth spilled once more into dawn”
Thank you so much, Marja π so glad the poem resonated with you πβ€
stanza (iv) … Swoon!
Awwww gosh! πβ€ Thank you so much, Margaret π so glad you enjoyed it! πβ€
If I should ever look upon a black iris, I will think of this, Sanaa. A soft song of a longing soul and another well-written expression of the heart.
Thank you so much, Joel π so good to see you πβ€
Wow, Sanaa, this is a sensual piece! From the βnectar / making the ground wet with salvationβ to the melting vision and laughter of the sky, and the taste of bitter truth.
I love the lines:
ββ¦once
we have tasted eros everything else failsβ
tomorrowβs raindrops
pale in comparison to the fire in your eyes
as they trace my skinβ.
Thank you so much, Kim π so glad you liked it πβ€
A beautiful creation of a new myth (or so I suppose) from OβKeefeβs glorious painting.
Thank you so much, Rosemary π so glad you enjoyed it πβ€
Oh the intoxication of passion can burn with the hottest flames. No one thinks of it ending until the fire is gone. Love this passionate, intimate poem.
Thank you so much, Susie π so glad you liked it πβ€
Stage gets set for the heat. I liked best the “fire in your eyes” tracing body curves.
..
Thank you so much, Jim π so good to see you πβ€
Each a special poem on its own, but as a progression, superb! I love that last stanza, and the fact that you used Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting.
Thank you so much, Sara π so glad you enjoyed it πβ€
Lovers should read this out loud to each other. I was once impaled by love that laid me in lilies at Easter.
Thank you so much, Colleen π so glad the poem resonated with you πβ€
Truly stunning Sanaa!
Thank you so much, Linda π so glad you liked it πβ€
The praises you sing in the steaming bath of Eros’ spell are intoxicating, Sanaa <3
Thank you so much, Jade Li π so glad you enjoyed it πβ€
I can really sense the complexity of love… both the unbearable pain and the overwhelming joy… you have to accept them both.
Thank you so much, Bjorn π so glad the poem resonated with you πβ€
I really enjoyed part iii of this piece.
Thank you so much, Arcadia Maria π so glad you enjoyed it πβ€
Nice last line about not being able to tear one’s gaze away.
Thank you so much, Frank π so glad you liked it πβ€
Pain and joy – such a lovely telling of the black iris from O’Keefe’s painting. The salvation falling like nectar is superb.
Thank you so much, Toni π so glad you enjoyed it πβ€
Hi Sanaa
I visited the Georgia O’Keefe museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico a few years ago and toured the area around which inspired her paintings, your excellent poem captures the sensuality of her paintings and art….well done…JIM
Thank you so much, Jim π so glad the poem resonated with you πβ€
So luciciously sensuous, with erotic imagery that pours off the poem! Utterly love it!
Thank you so much, Frank π so glad you liked it! πβ€οΈ