a sexual discovery

I fractured the moon and drank
its secret milk the night
I first saw my naked self
in my mother's full-length mirror:

        pale and dark-eyed,
        whispered light,
        white pinpoint pupil,
        tethered and star-bright.

Ribs are for counting,
a spine for arching
and lips for peeling
my name from your tongue.

Author's Note

libido awakened, the realization of sexual power.

Reviews

[Dana Alsamsam]

this piece hit me like a little piece of mint on my tongue! all of the senses are beautifully awakened in this one moment of powerful and almost haunting realization. the woman body is in fact a powerful thing.

the ending leaves a beautiful longing and hunger for exploration. great work!

[eglantine]

Merci! I'm glad you enjoyed it

[Robert Tusitala O'Neill]

"Lips for peeling my name from your tongue" is just brilliant. I love how unapologetic this is. So many writers here, to my surprise, still appear repressed in terms of writing about sexuality. I always wonder why we are holding back. Isn't this a subject we all love? I always feel that instead of subterfuge, addressing a subject head on, and purely is never obscene and never bawdy. Rarely do I find a poem on sex as clear and as honest as this. I hope you will do more to add to the sexual poetry of this site with poems as uncompromising as this. It sets a very clear image and whatever people's repression about the subject matter, we are just biasing ourselves by not talking about something that is as big an issue in our lives as this is. Sex is a perfect metaphor for all different aspects of life. Thanks for not shying away from it, and for expressing yourself so well!

[eglantine]

Thank you very much :) I am glad you enjoyed it.

[wandering daughter]

wow. I love this poem.
But to be honest... I didn't see the sexual awakening-part in it.
I see a little girl, who's looking at her body changing.
Anyway, you have real talent.

[Melobldnfr]

"I fractured the moon and drank
its secret milk the night..." I think this could be interpreted in several, if similar, ways. I like to think of stepping into and beyond the looking glass, fracturing its surface, and seeing/sensing something deeper - drinking in awareness and understanding. Like a milk bath. Seeping, steeping in knowledge.

[eglantine]

Thank you for reading! :)

[Fabiana]

I really enjoy how it's sexual with out over-sexualizing the matter. Its clear what it's about with a kind of innocent simplicity. I really enjoy the last stanza. Its like a summery of discovery.

[eglantine]

Thanks Stephany!

[Ed Rector]

try practicing Taoism very powerful sexual lust

[David Scott]

Oh this is good!
Simplicity speaks volumes here.
You have penned some deep psychology here. None more profound to me than the line, "I first saw my naked self in my mother's full-length mirror:"
That line could be explored beyond the conscious meaning even the author penned.
Certainly it was not literally the first time you saw yourself naked, but it was the first time you saw yourself as a woman and started to wonder about the power held in the naked form your mind was beginning to fathom... Great subtlety there.
Also, it is important to me that the line is not about a random mirror, but about your "mother's full length mirror:". This tells me as a reader that there is a strong connection to your understanding of sexuality and your relationship to your mother. I see a reference to the authors self image and the seeds to her identity as a sexual woman.

The middle stanza is interesting. Innocence still, but a "light" is shed on a subject. Pupils are not white... they are black. Still, this is more profound because it is a feeling not a fact and it is hidden in the blackness of reality as is swells and shrinks like the pupil of the eye responds to light's stimulus.

The last stanza brought a smile to my lips... Ha. :)
Indeed, it is a joy to count the ribs and arch the spine.
It is power to feel your name control the passion of another. It is power to feel what a simple kiss can accomplish and then some.

Very strong poem. One of my favorites in a while. You were not gratuitous in the sexual references and I had to think to appreciate the depth. I hope many other readers will enjoy the offering you had made here.

[eglantine]

Thank you very much for your detailed review--I really appreciate it :)

[Emily B]

I took my power in my hand . . . it is a joy when the power comes onto the page to tell a story like this one.

[Alana McGuire]

I'll be honest, when I first read the title, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it. (I've fallen across too many odd ones in this category, hahah.) I must say, I really enjoyed this one. The last two lines especially stood out to me. And the first four. Okay, maybe all of it. But seriously, I've always enjoyed reading your words. You have a rare, true talent. :)

[eglantine]

aw thanks! Haha, yeah, I know what you mean about being wary though, I have also read some, interesting ones lol

[The Nude Writer]

Wow.. wonderful writing! I love the effects and feeling you add to this :)

[eglantine]

thanks! :) nice to hear from ya

[annie lee]

You have written this piece with a skillful and economic use of words, increasing the tension and power of its message. You are goal-oriented and it definitely shows here. Your stanzas are tight and powerful. Very impressive indeed. Brava.

[eglantine]

Thank you for reading :)