Egress/Regress

the adoration of the rose (ekphrasis)

written for AP Lit. we needed to write a poem about a painting. Mine was inspired by "the Adoration of the Rose" by Danny Malboeuf.

I

She holds a nuclear war in the palm of her hand.
This is no metaphor; she could destroy us with a fingernail.
She has destroyed me with less.

She hides her roses well, thorn side up and tucked
between a cold couch and a creamy thigh.
But I always know, I always see.
I am painfully, painfully aware
of the cold, hard fact of warmth.
And so I’m always waiting.

II

I hold her destruction underneath my tongue,
and I am looking just above
her pleading eyes, and her flawed curls.
And I will never, ever let her know.

My hands are bleeding
red like blossoms, and in the background
I am jealous of the moon,
captivating in her apathy.
I aim to compete with her in coldness.

III

My lips are marked by the blue of her kissing.
And my cheeks are flushed; I’ve been gazing too long.
This adoration breaks laws,
breaks bones, and draws lines like lightning.

IV

My legs are crossed, and I am guarded.
She, awkward bent, adoring,
shattered borders, like icicles, once
tasted roses, but never will again.

V

In a grey landscape,
her beauty destroys the world.
I can hold this pose forever.

VI

I love and obliterate her, always.
And my empty arms do not
contain all that I offer.

Posted by samantha at April 17, 2005 11:08 PM