I
Long haired and lovely
her music so pure
I move with the cortege
bound in her allure.
Her lush dirge delivered
with passionate breath;
as I closed my eyes
and waited on death.
Long hair, too lovely
for words to convey.
abandon, then fray
in jade eyes of Elysian;
reposed and supine;
rending asunder
this corporeal twine.
II
Long hair, how lovely;
forgetting my place,
I rush to her body
then fall from her grace:
her intoned abasement
announce my demise,
I glimpse her ascension
through ardorent eyes.
Long haired so lovely
I, faithful, remain
resisting the impulse
to whisper her name.
My antiphon answered
at heaven's expanse;
revealing Amanda;
enthralled by her dance.
OK, a bit of history needs to accompany this, since it relates to the post below...
I've know Amanda, a DJ in the Los Angeles underground Goth/Industrial club scene for some time, and have always loved the way she danced. Early on though, she was "the DJ" and we never really spoke, other than an occasional song request. That being the case, CLD was as close as I could come to describing the emotion, appreciation, and undoubtedly infatuation felt while simply watching her dance. After all, I am something of a poet; my job is to observe. :)
Today, I can say that Amanda and I are friends: This is not a love poem. It's a simple expression of a moment in time when I loved to watch her dance (I still do) I was worried that, after reading this poem, it being so different from the original, she might have thought I was that "creepy, stalker guy", but she, being smarter than I, wisely stated that "...you and I have known each other way too long for me to take this in any other way than the lovely compliment it is..."
Thank you, Amanda. I hope we will always be friends.
The poem below is (as close to) the original, published in Rouge et Noir: les poemes des Vampires (volume 2 I think, I can't find either of my copies at the moment) and was hastily scribbled, from memory, in Meg Reed's apartment, a few nights before Rouge went to press. Meg Reed is the creative force behind the book: Rouge et Noir: les poemes des Vampires, the Vampire Poetry Reading Series, that accompanied it and the Undead Poets Society; the group of writers that were featured in the book and reading series (No, we don't carry cards). CLD was a new piece I had been reading locally and a mutual friend got us together. Like most all of my pieces, the one I just complete; seems to be (in my mind) the best one yet.
Fast forward to 2012; the poem just doesn't hold up! I'd like to think that my writing style had improved, but the truth was that the original poem; however meaningful to me and complementary to her, was actually really, really bad.
So, to give a bit of perspective, and to officially "blog" something which, after all, is what I'm supposed to be doing here, I give you, for your reading horror, the original version of
Celestial Love Dance
1991
I
Long haired & lovely
Her music so pure
I moved to her body
So that I might hear
She sang to me sweetly
With passion & breath
Then I closed my eyes
And awaited my death
II
Long haired, how lovely
Her skin soft & pale
I'm moved by her body
In every detail
The flawless perfection
Yielding only to grace
Her intimate laughter
And heavenly face
III
Long hair, too lovely
For words to convey
I moved near her body
And there longed to stay
In eyes warm & healing
Acknowledging mine
A form of detachment
From the real and divine
IV
Long haired so lovely
A sonnet refrained
Again & again
'Til you know it by name
Both graceful & flowing
My passion of chance
My eyes on Amanda
Mesmerized by her dance
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