Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Quotes
Short Stories
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Resources
Syllable Counter
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 3.14.80.45
Your Email Address:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email Address:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
“belles lettres” It’s a slow drifting off, that moment before you dive into the dark you surface to find a boat surrounded by shining pearls, Styx, a mirror reflecting otherworldly stars hypnotic, you trail your long pale slender fingers in the forbidden water, it is cool to the touch a new fever embraces you, you become sensate the feelings hit your skin like shifting satin the sweetest shivering a new gliding Dante dream arrives your eyes are open, your mind suspended, held tight, as if netted with rope, as if stolen by something other guaranteeing an inevitable exchange that cannot be broken there your journey continues consistent, surreal and silent, not a word spoken no lyre music, yet, the sound heard like a distant memory, appreciated, like a quiet symphony, the soft siren splash of black, the taste of spray not salty, but like a kiss on your lips sweet and heady it tastes like honey mead like something foreign and expensive, you see your reflection in the rippling, and you think, I fear this will cost me this being here, in this peculiar place of there is no longer no fear of where we go, the rippling depths of as above so below, diamonds shining beneath waving strings of velvet ebony liquorice as above so below, the eternal river from one uncertain shore to the next, the oars like spatulas drip, the scent of violet napellus mixing the dark recipe, Venus Chariot, indigo robes of Morpheus Monkshood and Wolfsbane wrap their cloak around your nakedness you find yourself banked upon a shore collateral damage nubile again and barefoot invisible paws that scorch the sand mark their way toward you the physical presence unseen, but oh so unstill, now stops like silky brakes before you ominous and mysterious before you this presence waits, you see its warm breath like a strange mist, it is sensuous, caressing you this petite mort like a little death, you’re such a vulnerable and soft target then, the striking face and body materializes before you it takes your breath away You hear the words, 3 sentences delivered from unwavering emerald windows, "belles-lettres reçues. je suis ton ombre. payer le passeur." With its tongue it has passed you a broken stem the syrup sweet and dripping you take it in your hands like a royal sceptre; it now stands beside me and as I turn I do what it bids me do the broken bloom is given to the boatman who drops the pristine petals into the ebony flow like purple prose, the token is paid this torn Lily of the Nile each petal a word in a long sentence released beside me, a kiss on the hand, a stroke like a comfortable eternity felt it whispers, "l'arrivée a un coût." In my own way I agree, I respond, "belles-lettres je t'ai envoyées comme une panthère je deviens ton ombre" (LadyLabyrinth / 2023) "Dans le fond des forêts votre image me suit." (Pursuit, Sylvia Plath)
CAPTCHA Preview
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required