A glance disarms my invention.
My tongue tangles itself, tripping me
to drown headlong in two eyes
like the sea at sunrise –
the exact colours of a long,
drawn-out, summer dawn in Orkney,
reflected.
Brain neglected, I happily bob and sway,
shamelessly – well, nearly – adrift
in the sea of your regard.
That small shame,
that… crimson shame
threads through the blue
like spice – cutting those cool sensations
with hot, sharp intentions –
the edge to every catching breath,
striking deeper and deeper into my chest
with every push and cresting wave
and every tug and sighing release.
Oh, my love – for you I’d turn sailor,
learn to read the weather of your ways,
and ride the tides of your affections.
No longer shipwrecked,
I’d reconstruct your gifts –
those glances given, smiles bestowed,
and words exchanged…
Then, on that craft of sighs,
and hungry nights,
I’d traverse you ’til I lost
all sight of land,
and there, rocked on the belly
of the murmuring mystery,
I’d weave my net of words and music
and cast to catch the moonlight
glinting from your wavetops,
and bring it home with me.
Come, mermaid, and I’ll sing to you,
to tell you of a love
between the elements.
You’d see me true,
and shore to you –
holding, encircling,
delineating but never limiting,
smiling as again and again
you throw yourself into my arms,
and run your fingers down my cheek,
with a sigh like all the world’s hurt…
easing.
credits
from The Speaking Strings,
released December 24, 2015
Fay Roberts (lyrics, vocals)
Anaïs Bokanovsky (harp)
Allographic aims to specialise in producing written and recorded publications of poetry, short stories, artwork, photography
and music (sometimes all at once...). We plan for our publications to be available to buy online, at our live events, and in the shops, in a variety of media.
We also aim to provide services for writers and performers of poetry, music, and storytelling. Watch this space!...more
Poet Douglas Kearney and composer/producer/drummer Val Jeanty link up for a a compelling LP that feels like the written word come to life. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2021