Milk and Honey Rhapsody

A novella that melds into poetry. About true love

I

Being with you

            Milk and honey rhapsody

Demystify infatuation with you

Then enters love

And by you

            I am mystified again

Mature as art

Like fine wine

Without love,

We:

            Aged vinegar

Flavors arise regardless

Via time

Disrupt the onslaught of self destruction

            And choose, daily, to grow young together

We grow and welcome this third entity

            This love

Binding us

How about that endeavor

            To decipher the language

            To study the art, to

Become the connoisseur

Squander one’s self when

            Giving to the emergent

 

II

Emergent tremors betray

            Leading to quakes that decimate

Is not what you seek in the 2^nd

            What you sought in the 1^st?

Parting from this life together

            Without you

            Then my being would be departed

Your softest safest spot invaded

            Into your heart

The endeavor devoured me,

            Consuming my all

            Assimilating into your all

 

For true love is between two

To split is to divide that love

Unrequited delusion

I have been deconstructed

            Now redefined

You gave me heart

            I was intoxicated with purpose

Now not detecting much flavor,

            Merely maintaining in this era of neglect

Am I my own single admirer, nurturing my wounds

No consultation to the third entity

My question turns me rhetorical

Answering self, soliloquy

“Seek another?”

 

III

I hold you as you weep

With your sorrow

Your tears roll down my cheek

Your tears become my tears

The opposite of love

Is the guise of love

What is the purpose of the wayward glance?

A quick read, for what information?

Instinct over intent

Something other than you

Driving you

Body facing me

Face turned aside

Effort doubtless partner- appreciation, love, and care

You may like flowers, but have mercy

Your starving garden

You December like frost

End this wicked season

The flowers produced

From that entity created between us

The communication, the connection spills

Confusion sets

Why can she no longer see?

Show her sight again

 

IV

On hypocritical loins

One leaps to another anybody

All the while expending that effort

That investment squandered

Can never have that dirty laundry laundered

Every action leaves an indelible mark

Be it pure or stain

Must we reconvene in our minds and remind our eyes?

Expose its farce:

“Once lost, forever lost”

Not to reconvene, but to convene again and again

Anew and always anew

In those first days, when mystery marked our ways

Unfamiliar to one another’s days

And so there was that union

That crept in our hearts

Out of our eager eyes

Slept in our bellies

Life is hard, love softens

Love hardens when mismanaged

Through self preservation

I connect with her eyes

Then I approach the rest of her being

We take this recognition of each other and cradle it

Considering the great struggle

Coming home from battle

So comforting to return to the sole duty of rest

At home to the arms

Invited by the heart

Binding self to obligation frees me

I am fidelity

            I have faith in us

Every pearl has its price

            What ransom more worth while?

 

V

Physical love is accounted through acquisition

Amalgamation accounts for the spiritual

So to love in this world

We acquire through coming together

Both giving of self

As love has restored us as nebula stars,

Our obligation-

To restore the light when it wanes

Restorative, ever new

Awake in this

Glorious morning

Patiently your passion grows

Energized into the art

And it draws your love closer

More than glittery and glistening, she is luminous

There is a physical manifestation of our third entity

Our love, our life

Replete, let our brackish spirits rise

Through our time together

Your name changes with me

First “enigma, desire”

Eventually “destiny”

And through so many more “Lover”

All these and more

By the day

This final chapter

Is the first of ours

In the break of every day

Turn toward your touch

            Sprinkle petals without thought much

The rapturous fortune

Let us be the everlasting cadre of love

I pledge all this forever and

Ever Afterglow

Reviews

[Khloevhr]

Wow! This careful study of a relationship,... of love is eye opening. The kind that not only wipes away your sleep as you arise,... but also the kind that cannot see straight. Blurred at times, Blind at times, Tearful, Red with hurt and betrayal. Eyes Rolled, sideways and back again. I thoughtfully pondered and enjoyed this poem. I know this is a poem I would definitely want to experience again. A known love revisited is sometimes worth the try. Especially, when the heartache is not just there when apart but aches just as more with every feeling, every carefully crafted thought in hopes of reunion, and is just ever so more devoted upon return. I hope to experience this someday.

[Khloevhr]

I forgot to address that I like how this is a Novella that melds in to Poetry. And most importantly, the Smile and Laugh lines at the outer corner of the eyes are a tell tale sign of Truest Love.

[Brad Dehler]

That is really sweet of you to say Khloevhr. Your name here is a combo of clever and lover? Thank you for the compliments! Something you would want to experience again, that is very nice of you to say and at the same time as it builds- leaves you with a sense of what for which to Hope. Many many thanks

[Khloevhr]

Oh wow, interesting view on my Pen Name. I like that better than the fact it was me trying find a nickname when I was dating a guy in a motorcycle riding club over 12 years ago. It's the name of one of my mom's dogs... Clover. The "the Nickname" never stuck. That's why it's best for others to come up with it. Like my Dance Name: XENA, Warrior Princess. Given by a friend from a legit dance crew that I "practiced" with. I am always up for a battle even though I can be defeat. I usually set out with a Battle Cry for anyone to dance with/at/or against me. Anyways, I like the origin story you made for Khloevhr better! I also intended to write under my other pen name here: Khammuh Elle AKA ,... That will be reserved for my attempts at spitting bars lol. I used to be in a Facebook Group for Rap Battles. But anyways: my creativity has manifested itself once again. So, I am back. I also plan to embed some of my poetry and RAPS?!,... on SoudCloud links. I just have to work on my voice; I sound 1/5 of my age lol. Sorry again long comment. but Anyways,... Clever and Lover! Amazing read of my name and style!

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Brad for sharing your long poetry. It is amazing. The dance of love, the dance of emotions. Never-ending. This is poetry my friend. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you Coyote- as you know this goes against my standard. I typically write in short condensed form but this (my longest poem) developed in a very different way. Glad you liked it

[Coyote Poetry]

I liked the poetry Brad and you are welcome.

[willweb]

The definitive poetic definition of love and all that surrounds the world when you feel this for another. Time seems to be never ending while at the same time moving so quickly it is hard to keep up. Days melt into one another and the world blooms...freaking flowers everywhere, every color, every scent and only for you. Each day becomes an endless quest on what can I do today to make her happy. Your poem was long but not long enough in the eyes of love...because when in love, forever becomes a theme, a title and a way of life. You have poured your heart out in this and I am thankful you shared it with us. Hopefully more than just a handful read it. Bravo Brad!!!

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you Willweb, humbled by your favorable review. It means a lot to me and I can tell you were able to decipher it. I'm going to re-read your review a few times. Thank you!

[willweb]

Note to self: Proofread comment before hitting submit. You are welcome Brad and thank you for understanding what I commented. I have since edited it so it makes some sense. : )

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you sir!

[AYVID N]

Reading this poem made me dwell on the many facets of love, its life cycle and stages, the beginning and ending. You have broken it down to its bits... things we all feel and desire but have not been able to place in words.

We are drawn to a new love, the mystical pulls us, intoxication colours our days, hours. At some point though, inevitably, summer wanes and the season turns wicked. We break apart and in doing so we lose a part of ourselves that we'll never see again because those hues in us were special only to that particular season of love.

"Physical love is accounted through acquisition
Amalgamation accounts for the spiritual"
I loved these lines as they so well mark that distinctiveness of the physical and the spiritual.

You speak of growing young together in the beginning verse and the following lines absolutely clinched that desire:
"As love has restored us as nebula stars,
Our obligation-
To restore the light when it wanes"
No words here...this is so good.

Your vision of love is truly multi-dimensional and that vision bursts upon the page. There are some very amazing things said in this poem. I can go on because there is so much more this poem offers by way of thought, contemplation and reflection but I'll leave it here with heartfelt compliments on the amazing words today.

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you for this thoughtful and heartfelt review. I'm blown away. I am soaking it up. Thank you DIVYA, so great to hear from you. You are so right, it is an explanation of budding love to fully established LOVE then the maintenance of it over time. Really appreciate your insights & Review!!!

[AYVID N]

I like the way you call it maintainace. I guess it love does with time develope, cracks, gets chipped and begins to leak . So that word is so meaningful.
You are most welcome Brad.
Wishing you a lovely day. :)

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you DIVYA! You have a lovely day as well. Thank you for your well wishing for me. So kind of you

[Ken e Bujold]

just a short note here Brad. This is damn good, worthy of my utmost attention. I have put it aside in my work to read. You can expect a PM with a very in depth review sometime in the near future, once I have had time to really drill down into what you are doing here. This work is something you should really consider sticking too, because it has a motherlode of potential in it

ken

[Brad Dehler]

Thank you Ken. Its a poem i published in my 2010 book CANTUS. The last poem in that book.

[Scott Kris]

Well… it’s the afterglow we really seek. The afterglow you only get when magic has happened.
And it lasts.. for hours, days, years even.

A beautiful journey shared here.

I feel blessed to have experienced this “story” of poetic expression.

Thank you for sharing.

Scott

[Brad Dehler]

Absolutely. But we have to earn that Afterglow. That combination of "happily ever after" and "Afterglow" enmeshed in one