Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, FAREWELL, by JOSEPH KLING


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

FAREWELL, by                    
First Line: I have placed you
Last Line: Insanity of man's flesh!
Subject(s): Desire; Fantasy; Love; Man-woman Relationships; Memory; Passion; Male-female Relations


I have placed you
In the hollow of my hand
Little toy-woman,
And I gaze at you disdainfully
Or throw you lightly aside. ....
Or half-shut my eyes,
And poetize dreamily
About your dainty beauty. ....
Or put my mouth
Close to yours
So that I see only
The rose-red of your cheek
And feel the soft warmth
Of your lips. ....
Or whisper half-audibly
Of the passion that makes
My blood a tide of fire. ....
But after all,
You are in the hollow of my hand,—
I the master,
And you the marionette. ....

My soul craves
A nobler happiness
Than passionate kisses
And the feel of soft flesh
In my fingers. ....

Love is a lie. ....
Any man-animal
Whose lips
Are at your throat,
Whose hands are eager
For your breasts
Will drivel with lying tongue
About endless love. ....

Aristocrats or gum-chewers,
They purr, and smirk, and sing-song questioningly,

Gaze at each other obliquely,
Body to body pressed. ....

It is best to live alone,
Breathe alone,
Dream alone,
Alone with one's sacred self,
One's reveries,
And memories,
And heavenly fantasies. ....
Here I sit and think:
The world of women
Will fret me no more;
And an hour from now,
Or to-morrow, it may be,
I will be talking to another
Pretty one
And every nerve in my body
Will exult as though
Inebriate with wine. ....

Morbleu! What is this
Insanity of man's flesh!





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