The Mistress of Words

I step into your sanctuary

golden ticket in one hand, book in the other

the dusty tomes are calling out

but your eyes are stronger

I move towards your desk

with fluid steps and beating heart

open the drawbridge of your eyes

and let me in.

 

I slide the book across the desk

and fleetingly our hands meet

the shock passes up my arm

and your lips twist up at my reaction

I am the big bad wolf

I devoured the book

and now I am going to devour you.

 

the books you give me are an offering

each time sacrificing a part of yourself, to me

but let go even further

I want more than just your mind.

 

the hush of the place presses down on me

I hear everything

I feel everything

the fall of an eyelash on your cheek

the swish of your skirt round the corner

as we walk further into this labyrinth

you pick out the book and softly place it in my hands.

 

time and time again we repeat this pattern

working our way down the shelves

and through the knowledge of your mind.

each book is a layer of clothing coming off

each word I read is a honeyed kiss

from your lips to mine.

one night I stay til after closing

and we dine on Keats, Blake and Byron.

an education in seduction

and seduction by education.

by both the words and by their Mistress.

 

the books we worshipped fall

in a riot of colours and noise

shattering the silence of the library

but we have no time for words now

only the rushing need of this moment.

 

now we are no longer fiction

like a dream in our sleep

or words confined to a book

we have stepped out of the page

and into reality

Reviews

[fireblossom]

Very seductive and intriguing. The broad literary/library metaphor is wonderful.

[Rossen]

Pulls me closer and closer touches me again and again, quite seductive.
smooth writing, like this line
You pick out the book and softly place it in my hands.

In my library, thank you
Rossen

[northern monkey]

Beautifully written. Nailed that emotion. Who hasn't shared these emotions sometime or other? But you don't see us writing about it like this. Nice work. Roll on your next piece.....

[{A}shley {B}lack @-;-]

A wonderfully written poem full of emotions which you emit very strongly I loved the flow of this poem well done

[Tomás Ó C..]

I love the imagery here. Would you like to submit to my journal? http://www.cartyspoetryjournal.webs.com is the website.

[Robin]

a quiet intensity best described by your own words

"The hush of the place presses down on me
I hear everything
I feel everything"

rightfully a favorite .

[Devons]

This is quite a fascinating piece; part obsession, part dream. The passionate imagery reads rather like a secret taboo, and the aura of carnal magnetism and wanton abandonment is like a fairy tale romance on a deeper, darker level. The analogy of literature is mixed with that of visceral human desire; sometimes it seems to relate to a person and other times to art.
I particularly relished these lines:
"...we dine on Keats, Blake and Byron.
An education in seduction
And seduction by education.
By both the words and by their Mistress."
The above passage perfectly and subtly encapsulates the crux of this poem's concept, and the subsequent stanza has all the physical rowdiness of an illicit affair:
"The books we worshipped fall
In a riot of colours and noise
Shattering the silence of the library
But we have no time for words now
Only the rushing need of this moment."
There is a spirituality and sexuality about this work which is soul deep. It is written with an intelligent style and an impish sense of emotional awareness.

[Lilly]

A very engaging poem - wonderful descriptions. I really enjoyed this.

[Fernando Pessoa]

I really love how you give stories and books this intimidating power to expose the reality of self. This work is such a rush.

Virginia Woolf: "Fiction is like a spider's web, attached ever so slightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners. Often the attachment is scarcely perceptible."

[Jessica Mai]

Beautiful. I love the descriptions you use. Honestly, this is awesome!!!