|
Luxury
by Nancy Ames"Wonderful rivers
where angels sell fish,
my lover delivers
my every wish!
White marble statues
cavort on the lawn -
a man in a hat woos
a doe and her fawn.
The sunset is golden -
we walk in a trance -
his whispers embolden
my longing to dance.
Red satin pillows,
brass knobs that shine,
the mirror up there shows
his body on mine.
Sublime conversations,
the laughter of friends,
airports, train stations,
the fashions, the trends...
Caviar, angelfood,
salmon on toast,
a palace, a blue mood,
Napoleon's ghost...
Radical politics
he can't quite afford -
I go where the trash mix -
it beats being bored." 04/13/2008
Author's Note: "Well, they want to feel earnest but it seems as if they took it out in theories mostly. Their radical views are a kind of amusement and they might have coarser tastes than that. You see, they`re very luxurious, and these progressive ideas are about their biggest luxury. They make them feel moral and yet don`t damage their position. They think a great deal of their position; don`t let one of them persuade you he doesn`t, for if you were to proceed on that basis you`d be pulled up very short."
Henry James, "Portrait of a Lady", 1881
Posted on 04/13/2008
Copyright © 2026 Nancy Ames
|
