I might use florid language and possess a vivid imagination but I am bashful when it comes to all matters romantic. I grew up hearing soca music on the radio. Those people do not mess around. I mean, when a song tells you to “Ride the big truck” or “Come dig it,” just imagine the lyrical carnage involved. I also did not dare go outdoors during Carnival weekend.
Jamaica Carnival revellers. Photo credit: Lahwego
I cannot write erotica, so I appreciate poets like English Delicacy, who’s agreed to let me share excerpts from her work with you. I understand the point of romantic gestures, like poetry, but I am practical to a fault, so please make me a table or shovel snow. I don’t know how I would manage a traditional wedding ceremony because slowly walking an aisle while holding a bouquet of flowers is a cannot do. Also, never do this:
Public proposal. Mortifying. Photo credit: Getty Images via the BBC.
Romantic poetry is fascinating even though I’m pathologically squeamish. However, what I find is that I get completely put off at the end of some poems. They all start out with promise. From Kiss (Redux),
Stubble grazes skin, soft lips clustered
Background fades into itself, time stops
Held tight, strong, unyielding touch
In the middle, most poems subtly invite readers to follow along in their imagination. From Natural Feel,
How you talk, and how I listen.
The way that your voice glides over me,
Winding and flowing around us,
Binding us like a charm.
Great so far, and I feel that most poets know what to do with their hands. However, after this point, quite a few poems get jagged. I wrote the following lines to illustrate how endings sometimes sound to me:
He slips swell dagger out of sheath
And belts her roughly underneath
Then with fell and merciless wrath
Chris jams lancet…
up Anastaath
Exactly. It is scary and quite sudden. If someone writes me a poem that ends like a scene from the 50SOG film, I’ll switch into battle mode. And the only reason I’d entertain him after, is to see if he’ll say that again to my face.
Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil : Retribution
via UniFrance.
My preferred ending for a poem resembles a luxurious helping of chocolate powder over a generous mound of whipped mascarpone. That way, when I’m having my tiramisu, I’ll take a few extra seconds to lick my spoon. At the end, I should be Distracted:
Can’t keep my mind on anything.
Ain’t it grand?
Enjoy more spoon licking poetry at English Delicacy’s blog.
Saint Joan (Creative Studio) 