Woman

One of my more recent reflections in a personal vein.

Woman, Oh Woman,

Why do you try me,

Why do you shake me,

Break me

Deny me

When all that you do

Is deride and defy me?

 

Once we were young

And you painted your faces,

Pierced your tongues

And silk-stockinged your traces;

Wafted the scent of despair

And seduction,

Coloured your lips with

A hint of corruption,

Taunted and teased with your hips

As they swayed it,

Aimed at my reason;

Dismayed and waylaid it.

 

I was bemused

By your wilful distraction,

Caught in your spell

And the well of attraction,

Courted and charmed

As you played 'hard to get me',

Turned my face from you

As much as you'd let me,

Filled you with praises

Then watched you cuckold me,

Took to another

So she could just hold me.

 

Year followed year

And your scent, it still lingers,

Once I stood tall and strong,

Now I'm all fingers,

Love came and went until

I was but sated,

Everything failed

Then you came to me, naked,

Now in the twilight

We look on and wonder   

Where are the ties that bind?

All torn asunder!

 

Woman, oh Woman,

Why do you sigh me,

Why do you shake me

Break me

And cry me,

When all that you want is

To lie here beside me?

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[cynthiabuhainbaello]

Excellent David, a battle of wills and the conquest of Reason. Great writing and impeccable style, each line aches with pining desire as Enchantment graced the scene with a victor's kiss. You are truly a master of poetry and this one is a fantastic, romantic love poem.

[...]

Loved it!

[persianleopard]

"Women: can't live with them, can't live without them..."

[Kristallo]

'Wafted the scent of despair
And seduction,
Coloured your lips with
A hint of corruption' - This stanza is fantastically written, I love it.

Wow. This is phenomenal, heart achingly true. You have a mastery with words, bewitching and full of longing, the reader goes through such a myriad of emotions on the epic journey of your poetry. The pain and yearning expressed here is wrought with clarity, passionate, and well defined in its somber simplicity. Your words are empowering here, I can feel the emphasis dealt with the ploy of courting, falling in love, losing it to fickle, wanton hearts. I could feel everything as I read this through, very thought provoking and inspiring also. I must deliberate over this one for a while... you have a spell binding gift.

[Emerald Seas]

A gripping write, David. Your pain and emotional bewilderment relating to the relationship is evident and well expressed. I don't understand how two people that care so deeply at one point can treat each other (or one to the other) so terribly. When there is anger, there is passion. I'd like to think that means there are still feelings worth pulling from deep within to bring to light again. It is couple with the man or woman that no longer fights, and is passive... that relationship is usually beyond reconciliation as one or both truly no longer care for the other. Of course, my belief is that it was never really "love" then in the first place, but that is my own thoughts on love... great write.

[Lena M. P.]

Terrible pain here David. It's a shame what we put our loved ones through at times.

[icaros13]

The question I ask is, why do we let them? Excellent poem to which I can painfully relate.