Rendezvous

inside an imposing red brick lodge
close to the entrance of what once
served as a sanitorium for those
sickly and suffering from
tuberculosis

nestled in magnificent surroundings
at the centre of our expansive leafy
south downs an English king would
rendezvous with his high society
mistress

here where leaves flutter and fall in
diverse shapes with their hues of
autumnal rust or gold coin drop to
form thick layers on paths as we
breathe in air rinsed by recent rain

imagine the warmest of welcomes
which Alice Keppel bestowed on her lover
in greeting as he clasped her right hand
raising her slim white finger tips to his
wanting royal lips

as she elevated her adoring glance
to seduce the twinkle in his eager eye
as her sumptuous silk on satin skirts
rustled to a low sweeping submissive
curtsy

Reviews

[softlyfall]

"Royals" is perhaps the most classist word I have ever heard, no wonder my mother loved it, she was very fond of her own royal heritage, nefarious as it was. They look like ordinary people to me, no different than the men, women and children who we served at the mission on Thanksgiving.
Shakespeare understood- "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?" (Shakespeare was my 12th great-grandfather, so I am very fond of quoting him lol)
That being said, I loved the poem. It has the feel of choreography, especially the last stanza.

[Chris Shaw]

Pleased you enjoyed the read Amy. Thank you. I quite like our history dating back a thousand years or so. The monarchy isn’t perfect but it brings in the tourists :)) Many thanks.

Chris

[red93]

Ooh Fabulous Chris - a real feast for the senses and a sensuous feast. The Prince of Wales always has at least one Mistress word has it. Look out poor lovely Kate Middleton.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Tony. Kate deserves only the best. She is quite something. I am a big fan. Have a good Thursday evening.

Chris

[Neville]

My word, you took me back to school and my old history teacher Miss. Little who seemed to delight in adding to or embellishing the information contained in our school text books with additional and often saucy snippets of information .. Well she did with me anyway, particularly during many of my detentions that I tried to engineer .. She was a lovely young thing but of course older than us lads .. So I just wanna say thanks to two very important ladies .. firstly yourself Chris for this particular history lesson & again to Miss. Little .............. Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Pleased I was able to remind you of the lovely Miss Little, Neville. Trying to engineer detentions eh? Ha! You were norty weren't you? Thank you so much for calling on this poem. I appreciate you.

Chris

[AYVID N]

A love bygone, so beautifully brought back to life by your words.
Everything that blossoms under the sun passes away with time.
A poem so rich and vibrant in visuals and feelings evoked. I can see them through a window in time. Kudos, dear Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

I so appreciate your encouraging review DIVYA. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Chris

[Ken e Bujold]

really enjoyed this little historical trip Chris. Eddy was a rake, and as you rightly note in comments Mrs Keppel was a lady with her eye on the prize of climbing the ranks. The poem also had me thinking of how poorly you folks have done in general with Ed's on the throne. 2 murdered, 2 deposed, and one who actually didn't last long enough to be crowned. Good thing the current one is rather far down the list

[Chris Shaw]

You aren't wrong with the Edwards Ken. A bit too cuddly from the sounds of it:) Thanks for the encouraging review my friend. All the best.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

You sent me running to Google on this one. I had read about Edward VII in my undergraduate years, but had forgotten he was something of a rake. It seems Mrs Keppel was his mistress for a number of years. It also seems his mother was not pleased. The next Edward displeased quite a few people.

[Chris Shaw]

You are right on all counts. I don't think his wife was too happy either! Yes the King had many illicit affairs and Mrs Keppel had a few in her pocket too :) High Society. Thanjs a million John for stopping by.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

even Royalty is privy to being seduced...shows they are human...
I think sometimes we don't want them to be...maybe that is too much to expect.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks dear J. Both Edward VIi and Mrs Keppel were both experienced in the art of illicit affairs. A little bit of British history for you. Hope your Tuesday goes well.

Chris

[andrew mitchell]

A wonderfully written poem Chris rich in the tapestry you weaved in imagery with a splash of history to boot.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Andrew and for appreciating the history. Pleased you stopped by.

Chris

[willweb]

I wasn't sure who Alice Keppel was so I looked her up and found she was not only the mistress of the king but the great grandmother of Camila? Thanks to your wonderful poem I learned something new today. Thanks so much for sharing Chris. This was wonderful.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks will. Pleased you looked her up. Yes an interesting woman, who climbed the social ladder with the aid of her beauty and affairs. She is the great grandmother of our Queen Consort. Have a great day.

Chris