I currently have a hundred browser pages open on my iPhone. Ridiculous, I know, but they are open to many items I hope to use for future pieces.
This poem was started in May from a challenge prompt put out by The Ekphrastic Review.
The challenge was to write something about the painting “Hylas and the Nymphs,” created in 1896 by John William Waterhouse.
I liked the language that came about with the poem, but was never satisfied with the ending until revisiting it recently and adding the last stanza.
Way past The Ekphrastic Review’s deadline, I figured I’d share it with our readers here.
Now, I must return to my explorations. Closing three browser windows and opening another due to a suggestion received by email, I have 98 browser pages open. Ridiculous, I know.
The Seduction
She said her name was Lily
as she reached out from the water,
a yellow flower among the frogs,
warm alabaster
brushing across my wrists
inviting me to drink,
to dip my face into the starry surface,
perhaps a bath,
a swim and
I no longer remember
where the jar was placed.
I’m sorry I did not see
you also there
or feel your breast as it
brushed against me
or maybe I lie and
felt it with joy,
my flesh aroused by
the caress of such beauties,
fingers pulling at me
for a plunge,
coming up for
a breath more before
diving into you.
Please pardon my euphoria
at these depths,
please pardon my nod
as I pass from this passion
to evermore bliss
with not a bubble escaping
my mouth open wide with awe,
lungs full of water without struggle,
my heart stilled within your delight.
As these waters darken
the last light of my eyes,
I fear you
too proficient with deceit,
but muscles slack their guard,
realizing I wanted
so much to believe.
| Copyright © 2021 by Maik Strosahl Michael E. Strosahl has focused on poetry for over twenty years, during which time he served a term as President of the Poetry Society of Indiana. He relocated to Jefferson City, Missouri, in 2018 and currently co-hosts a writers group there. |
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