—Paint My Love—
Come, paint my love, where silence dares to speak;
let oils transfigure what words dare conceal,
bid every hue reveal the fire I seek,
till secret ardours make the unseen real;
paint not the visible, but inward light
where love's unspoken immensities hide,
let every strange tincture enchant the sight
till secret tides within my bosom bide;
yet one true hand must pierce my veiled desire,
no mimic craft shall counterfeit the fire;
I'll set AI to test each living wire,
and crown the hand whose hues make love aspire;
though ladies vie, one only shall be crown'd—
her prize, my heart, where all my loves are bound.
Relish of lips, their sweetness,
Breasts’ cute contours, their firmness,
Poetry prime and mellow,
Who but the knower would know?
______________________
Translation |19.09.2024| beauty, poem, connoisseur
Poet’s note: Sanskrit has thousands of verses of wisdom called Subhashhitam. The beauty of a beautiful woman, breasts’ firmness, their right contours, he knows that knows. So also a poem’s mellow and mature taste. The transliteration of the Sanskrit verse follows:
Adharasya madhurimaanam,
kucha-kaathinyam,
drishah tathaa taikshhnyam |
Kavitaayaah pari-paakaam,
anubhava rasikah vijaanaati ||
I saw a painting as a younger man;
some artwork I enjoyed - this not so much.
Not ready yet for abstract, off I ran
to view portraits, landscapes, still lifes and such.
A decade later, we met up again;
I still was not sure what there was to see.
Less hurried, I felt more receptive then.
"My kid could paint this", scoffed a man near me.
I'm sixty now, and see with dimmer eyes
yet now they catch things I missed in my youth.
I gaze, and let a narrative arise -
it asks me: what is beauty, life, and truth?
Therein consists the artist's foremost task:
to raise the questions we have yet to ask.
// An ekphrasis on the painting "The Connoisseur"
by American painter Norman Rockwell //
• She was a control connoisseur.
• Her hair was afraid to move.
• Church ladies called her daily to ask permission
• To move a basket of flowers
• To open the Baptists' refrigerator
• To use the blue pitcher left by the last minister’s wife
• Her scotch tape was afraid to tear wrong.
• Her husband had to raise his hand to go to the bathroom.
• So glad he did not raise his hand to ask for children.
At least they were spared the control connoisseur.
My pet mouse Louie is a connoisseur of exotic cheese,
But when it comes to gratifying him, he's mighty hard to please!
I have my own choice of cheese, therefor, 'tis an ongoing clash,
Between me and Louie at which he has become somewhat brash!
If I set a snack of limburger before him, he'll turn up his nose,
And I learned mighty quick to no longer on him that crud impose!
I happen to like a simple cheddar but Louie will clearly voice,
His desire for an expensive gouda if he had to make the choice!
We both abhor cottage cheese on that we can readily agree,
But he savors bizarre cheeses such as Greek feta and French brie!
The latter two I can barely tolerate and well-nigh cause me to retch!
I hate to divulge this but Louie is becoming a bothersome kvetch!
Lately he insists on me catering ricotta, swiss and mozzarella.
(Ain't gonna happen, you can bet your life on that, little fella!)
Alas, my dilemma was solved by my cat who relishes tasty mice;
Louie was devoured by ravenous Jeff the cat which wasn't very nice!
Entry for Barry Stebbins' "Poem About Cheese" Contest
(15 November 2018)
Warm buttery flakey croissants with almond filling,
Homemade sugar-laden donuts, hot out of the frying vat,
German chocolate cake with loads of scrumptious sweet coconut,
Sweetened graham cracker crust key lime pie with a sprig garnish,
Peanut butter cookies, oozing with chocolate morsels,
Grandma’s sugar mints, in pinks and greens, pretty enough for a wedding,
Delicious apple cobbler, crisscrossed with cinnamon and sugar crust,
I salivate my feelings toward these favorite foods.
You may keep your vegetables and your fruits, your seafood and your chicken.
The only vegetable I want is mashed potatoes, and please do not ruin it with garlic.
Instead, stir it into a giant vat of butter, so much you have to re-heat it.
Your beef can wander down by the barn and sit on a stump for all I care.
Unless I am in the mood to make my famous meatloaf with the diabetic-coma-brown-sugar topping.
It will knock me out in seconds, and I am re-thinking the vegetables.
I would like a big cob of Iowa sweet corn that has been bathing in butter for a week.
With so much salt and pepper, most people would turn their noses up.
I am a food connoisseur; can you tell?
There is my heart beat
Standing on the other side
Of the street speaking
She has captured all of the LOYALTY of
Loveliness
in this blue sphere and
Made it more, impossible to ignore.
a BEAUTY CONNOISSEUR. BREATHLESSLY
BREATHTAKING. FOR ME
GROUND SHAKING
Life as wine
Cherished sips
that make you swirl,
Scent of life
is pure as white pearls,
Brewed to the finest
in ocean of desires,
Neat and bitter as truth
takes to heavens,
Amalgamated in sin
life has a sweet taste,
The more you drink
runs faster in the veins,
Utmost crest till serene !
Written Sept 2nd, 2015
For contest by Chase Trevi
Conniosseur of Life
The vintage of our time begins
To sip and taste the wine of Life
To seek the essence of my search
and find a flavor I enjoy
It’s limpid sensuality
And all the sultry tastes of Love
To blend into a sweet bouquet
Ignoring all the dregs of gloom
A sediment that’s left to waste
To move into a sweet perfume
and swirling colors of our dreams
Drink of it’s substance and feel well
For dreams are connoisseurs of Life
I do not wish to drink of you with greedy lips
My desire is for you to linger on my palette
As your heady aroma fills my nostrils
I will taste of your complexities
Marvelling at the colours of your essence
I do not not wish to be intoxicated
For I desire to make this pleasure last
Within my mouth a symphony
The interplay of the seasons of your soul
I taste the winter, spring and summer of our waiting
Until this moment of falls bounty
Through the patience of knowing
I now experience all of your seasons.
A wine connoisseur and Life
Trickling pearls of red and white
The sizzling hot, the fizzing out
Pinot noir, Reisling, Chardonnay
Teroldego, Norton , Carbanet
Deliverance from all the doubts
As he sees, swirls, sniffs, sips, savors
For once he chooses, its best of world
The embroidered sweet drops with finest taste
The embellished pearly drops with blissful tizz
Oenophile's stemware filled with recherche expertise
Like a bagpiper playing best among best of tunes!
Floats our life's canoe over varied wines of emotions
We the connoisseurs need to take the tasting flight
And drink from bottles of right emotions
And drink from glasses poured in blends of doses right
To row the canoe through smoothest wines,
exotic choices we ought to make...
And enjoy the tizz of happiness,
Savor the taste of contentment,
Relish the sparkling journey
of life to cherish a vintage life!
©Anulaxmi Nayak, 2015
( had to drop it for contest as this exceeded 13 lines...)
A wine connoisseur
Varied emotions filled river of wine
My life's canoe set sail in it....
I am the connoisseur of my life
I ought to make exotic choice
I rowed with shiny oar of love,
trust and kindness....
My canoe was filled with sweet wine
Smooth sail, life beautiful, vivacious
I rowed with dark oar of hate,
jealousy, selfishness....
My canoe was filled with bitter wine
Sail imbalanced, life ugly, languid
My life turned mirror of my choices!
© Anulaxmi Nayak,2015
For contest: a wine connoisseur
Sponsor: Chase Trevi
Date: 30th august 2015
Grapes
sunbathing and ripened in the sun
hanging on the vine
barrels of well-balanced and harmonious wines
the older it becomes, the more refine
pour into long stemmed glasses
to capture the perfect amount of aroma
a sniff
a sip
a swirl around the taste buds
an expert judge of fine wine
drink slowly and enjoy
while dining ,
while reading,
while writing,
or romantic moods
no blushing
drinking wine
its fine
8/21/2015
Contest Name: A Wine Connoisseur
Sponsor: Chase Trevi
No one wants to be left on the shelf for years
Guess you could say I’ve popped my cork
Now I’m fully mature with a rich full body
I could be described as a little fruity with a hint of spice
Please don’t keep me bottled up
Just give me time to breathe
Contest :- A wine Connoisseur
Sponsor: Chase Trevi
08~14~15
Fit form and fact in craft you know,
Intent works best when poise frames wit;
Trust in clear tact that streams sure glow.
Choice stays bold quest to make things fit,
Opt to be true in acts you frame;
Now funds the time to reap success,
Note how you cue to brand fine name;
Outline deep chimes in warm caress,
Incline your taste on better blooms;
See ample highs that nurture zest,
Spell with sure haste standards you groom;
Embrace the sighs of vivid fest,
Urge greets surprise though relevance,
Reach for grand prize with excellence.
Leon Enriquez
02 July 2015
Singapore
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