Marble braced – you are fed
on the offerings
loved by women. Tender sheets,
beloved breast and curving hip.
Aphrodite’s call was yours
to issue. You are softness, pleasure
and the push. You take all
that we still give. Dark eye and
proud brow. Took the name
and made it foreign, home
and whole. To make love
as the women from Lesbia used to mean
a very different thing. You took that too
and made crushed violets
of sweet longing. I can only roll apples
for a glance – we were made
for each other – time apart. Maybe
you would have cursed my eyes,
damned my step
and broken my every tooth
in your open, pulping mouth
as you did those girls before.

Image: Thomas Kelley on Unsplash