Scholars in Love

This used to be called Mind F*****g...see what you think.

“The purely private is not real,”

he says, but she knows

otherwise.

 

Translating the intimate whisper of separate pencils on paper,

giving voice to the philosophy of coupling,

while explaining Peircean pragmatism.

Proving

conversation is superfluous.

 

Neither looks when the other does speak, yet

rapid-fire connections and cross-references flicker across synapses

while attending to dinner.

(Sparring words, liberally used in class, have no place at the table).

 

Brushing teeth,

a clamorous swishing, gargling, spitting and rinsing

twin Rorschach blots of paste, leaving

that fine spray of white on their dual reflection.

 

Climbing into bed,

a sonorous easing, groaning and squeaking of

decades’ coils catching

their bodies in side-by-side hollowed-out spaces.

 

His glasses slipping down his nose;

hers remaining firmly

pressed into dents,

as they peer into books.

A quick lick of cross-hatched fingers turning pages, then

turning covers up, blanketing the slumber of a mingled unconscious.

 

Searching for knowledge,

thirsting for truth,

reaching,

just beyond his head to take a sip of water from their communal glass on the nightstand.

Interpreting his foot

(grazing her toe in the grey light of dawn)

is the abstract summary of an economy of dialogue.

She understands the language.

 

Reviews

[Greg the Bard]

There was a time that I thought I could fool my parents only to find out they knew better from the start. That's what this work reminds me of with an great open and the ending confirming my point. This is a wonderful poem the way it flows and its pace. The images go from stanza to stanza but are not the same repeat as before. Great work

[Loren Vitale]

I enjoyed reading this. The first three lines both set the stage and summed it all up for me:

"The purely private is not real,"

he says, but she knows

otherwise.

Reading this, I can empathize with both of them. This seems to tell the story of every relationship ever crafted between a man and a woman. On the outside, they get along well enough; on a spiritual, emotional, or what have you level, they speak different dialects at the very least. Your use of imagery is also well done, not overblown, but rich enough to "get the big picture."

[An Ordinary Woman]

Somehow this reminds me of an old song by "jewel"

I think you did an excellent job conveying a powerful message about the relationship between a man and woman.

my fave lines: (I think lol really there are many fave lines here)

His glasses slipping down his nose;

hers remaining firmly

pressed into dents,

as they peer into books.

you have done an excellent job with flow, imagery and a strong message.
very nice work!

[Fantasyfairy]

Ah, you have a perfect insight into life and this poem shows that. Well written, with good descrptive quality. XX

[TL Boehm]

OH wow. That's exactly how it is...Brushing teeth,

a clamorous swishing, gargling, spitting and rinsing

twin Rorschach blots of paste, leaving

that fine spray of white on their dual reflection.




Climbing into bed,

a sonorous easing, groaning and squeaking of

decades' coils catching

their bodies in side-by-side hollowed-out spaces.

I especially am drawn to the above lines....wonderful poetry here.