mousai

I thought of this while imagining her reciting her poetry to me

When she reads to me in moonlight dreaming harmonies

there is an effervescence of crackling seascapes,

her vocals are never bridged, well in pools

by the foot of our bed as spectrums calm

in spirals of cool, viscid oils,

and her breath of perfume abiding in alabaster 

allows me the sweet release of thought

only hearing the coherence of her lips,

refrains in the Mousai's artistic spheres.

My eyes saccade her form as she reads to me her poetry,

claiming her, donning my thoughts, my illustrious desires,

attempting to ship what is left of my unclaimed love

within the banks of her well writ poesies, 

her verses hung ornamentally speak to me

in formal imitations of ancient poets

invoking the muses Erato and Euterpe.

Her demure while she reads in esoteric tongues 

allows my infatuated ears,

pillowed comfortably by her charming singsong,

to regress as water from ice, freed to steam again,

liberated to fly by each stanza,

freed of Augean interpretation, 

satisfied by graceful suspire,

her lyrics so blessed by the Mousai.

Author's Note

Of the nine muses Erato was erotic poetry and Euterpe, lyric poetry.

Reviews

[Bright Ocean Star]

Xavier, I love this. Love the invocation of Erato and Euterpe; I love every single line. You are inspired to greatness, my friend. This is deeply intimate, seductive, and oh, so beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[Ruth]

Fine Muses to personify the deep pull here...free to feel again, immersed, free to explore...and all from her reading words to you, damn...nice hon! x

[Leyla Hess]

I may have to ask you to deconstruct this for me, as I am having a bit of trouble. If I may focus on the second stanza--coming from Kant, the word "ornamentally" catches my eye. Kant argued that the ornamental is that which is imposed externally upon the beautiful, something ultimately alien to the aesthetic proper, with the intention adding to its charm. Its that what is happening here--a bewitchment? And, yet, there is violence acted out upon this woman--whatever ego, whatever function of "I" that may be speaking here, "saccades" her and imposes itself on her in a way that is independent to her own creative agency. And how is this reconciled with the last stanza--"to regress as water from ice" involves a gesture toward the processual, but this piece seems more centered around fixation with, again, the ornamental, the anti-aesthetic.

[m.s.early]

The value of the ornamental is credited by respecting it as a manifestation of its origin. Although he is infatuated with her poetry, he is in love with the soul that devises it. To him, the poetry is a symptom of her soul exhibiting her great beauty.

The love he is experiencing allows him the liberty of escaping from himself, a frozen encasement, warming into a mist and becoming one with the air around him. He finds that a pure love liberates, affords him to appreciate her aesthetics, but to love her soul.

Experiencing the willingness of surrendering to the mousai grants her a power to free her expressions and coincidentally provides him the warmth and confidence to free his own. In my opinion, that is the divine nature of surrendering to love.

[Leyla Hess]

So you are redefining what is the ornamental. (Perhaps another interesting word my be 'design,' or even 'form.' The first, coincidentally, translates as 'cosmos' in the old Greek.) You are engaging Spinoza, then. He argued for a God quite different to the one posited by most monotheistic traditions, that contained all things and manifested as process through what were termed 'modes.' Your muse manifests as an artistic process that demands engagement with the speaker's sensorium--truly, a goddess after the Spinozan lexicon. It was your vocabulary that had me confused.

Yet I still do not know how to respond to the engagement of your "I" with the muse. It seems inevitably rooted in violence--particularly with the "saccade," and with "claiming her." It suggests a desire to appropriate her capacity to design--to ornament her, as it were, and this imply that she is not such a complete creative agency as the text might otherwise suggest. Or is this precisely your point?

[m.s.early]

To claim her, but not by violating her. As he watches her and learns where her poetry comes from he recognizes that she has something he is lacking and provides balance. He is (for the lack of a better term) falling for her.

My first intention was to express that the poetry although profound and beautiful is superficial, something that lends grace or beauty, adorns her, but it is the muse, where the poetry comes from that the narrator is attracted to. Erota and Euterpe were to imply that particular piece she was reading was eloquent and sensual, perhaps adding to her allure.

That they hung "ornamentally" is the narrator's perception not her intention (well maybe a little, perhaps she's using it to woo him). He recognizes an underlying characteristic that he admires and is willing to experience vicariously in order to achieve his balance.

I feel I am lacking in answering your question resolutely. Am in the ballpark?

[Brittany Zedalis]

This is one of my favorite poems from you. Really wonderful job.

[m.s.early]

Wow. Thank you so much Brittany :)

[Linda alexander]

to regress as water from ice, freed to steam again,
liberated to fly by each stanza,
freed of Augean interpretation,
satisfied by graceful suspire,
her lyrics so blessed by the Mousai.

Fantastic write, splendid imagination, really jealous of both of them, but there is nothing I can do, or would have tried to be an irritating ant in their heaven, really enjoyed except the fear factor, I wonder how she got the blessing by Mousai

[m.s.early]

Thank you Linda. Your work is respected appreciated by many here :)

[Linda alexander]

You most welcome, take care, so glad to be among all of you, saying this from my heart

[BlackRose]

Took me there within the words, heartfelt and sensual this was. Such a phenomenally FINE piece.

@{/:o)

[m.s.early]

Thank you for your review blackrose :)

[Jack...]

Very mesmerizing my friend. A wonderful journey I have been on tis morning via your words.

[m.s.early]

Thank you Jack :)

[Claire in VA]

I've not seen the word "mousai," but I am
thinking that maybe it means muse in the
plural form. It is beautiful that you love her
as well as her verses inspired by Erato and
Euterpe and that you listen with complete
adoration to her "charming singsong" as
you wait for her to end her recitation. I enjoy
reading your poetry; as I read more free verse,
I am growing more accustomed to it. I always
love your use of fantastic adjectives. In this
write, I particularly love the word "saccade" for
no reason other than it's pleasing to my
tongue as I read the verse aloud. I believe
that you use it as a verb here.
You are a brilliant poet.
Seems like a good time to say
"CHEERS." :)

[m.s.early]

Thank you Claire. Your thoughts are very appreciated :)

[paddy d daly]

the picture you paint here captures a precious moment in time, at least that is how i read it, seems like a very heartfelt piece, a lovely read...

[m.s.early]

Thank you so very kindly paddy :)

[Lyn Anderson]

This is lovely. A sensual and romantic piece again.

[m.s.early]

Thank you very much KL :)