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Hallmarked & Handsome
by Frankie SanchezRemember, that chaos first was a primordial deity,
Chaos; the nothingness from which all else sprang
headfirst and heartfelt,
half-naked and handsome,
hook, line and... halibut.
All of this,
every measurable moment,
every particle,
every object set forth in motion
sprang from a void so harmoniously
as if the absence of everything was kissed
sudden
by the presence of something.
Often depicted with wings, a bow, and a quiver of arrows,
Cupid, son of Venus - goddess of love,
son of Mercury - god of trade,
his story,
almost identical in Greek and in Roman
mythology,
his story, about a couple of gods
who seem so inherently human by nature,
jolted by jealousy,
dumbstruck by beauty,
hellbent on immortality,
his story has been hallmarked
as red hot velvet rose petal fine wine
and symmetrical hearts.
Wrapped in tin foil red ribbons
bitter-sweetly sugarcoated
dipped in thin layer of chocolate
taste-tested and lover approved.
Remember that scene in Hook
where Tinkerbell leaves her footprints on Peter's chest,
well that's you and that's me--
touch me where my heart beats
because I don't ever wanna be a lost boy.
I wanna grow up like a good bedtime story
with morals
and purpose,
I wanna have meaning.
You might say that Cupid found himself.
You might say that Psyche found her soul.
You might say that Tinkerbell was just faking it--
with the clapping.
Truth is, we can never know the whole story--
the complete truth.
Problem is, we think we can
and act like we do.
So the only time we mean what we say
is the first time we say it,
every utterance thereafter is just an attempt
at recreating a moment.
I love you
is a paraphrase
that deserves three separate ellipses
because there's a lot left unsaid.
I (distinctively remember shadow-boxing with)
love (against a star-dotted sky anchored to a
moonlight so vibrant it can only be compared to)
you (and your tidal waves).
And that's where I fell
headfirst and handsome.
I (was punched-drunk by a kiss so breathless
that it spiked my dopamine to a volume
that can only be described as) love
(in that every time my neurotransmitters feel) you
(they spin themselves dizzy and dance to your science).
There was a moment in the absence of everything
when I was kissed silent by the presence of something.
Hold me to your breastplate.
I don't ever wanna go back to the void.
02/09/2010 Posted on 02/09/2010
Copyright © 2024 Frankie Sanchez
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Joan Serratelli on 02/09/10 at 05:53 PM So vivid. I want to have meaning and purpose- I do not want to feel powerless. Your last line really got to me. I feel like I live in a void, and I cannot seem to find my way out.GREAT write- every word. |
| Posted by Therese Elaine on 02/09/10 at 10:54 PM Damn me, but this is brilliant...from mythology to faerie tale to bedtime story to introspection to infatuation, to meaning, context and want...it's one of the prettiest written sledgehammers I've ever had the pleasure of reading! |
| Posted by Steven Kenworthy on 02/10/10 at 02:00 AM "touch me where my heart beats"...ayy, that's intimate. that's sexy, but sweet. to me, that is how love should be...that sentence. the rest is excellent as well of course, in tradiitonal, rushed and excited sanchez form. you are the master of your own style...this is a trademark i think, of a good poet. you though, have something extra...which i always talk about, so it's probably getting old by now. either way, i read this thrice...which counts for something. :) |
| Posted by Sandy M. Humphrey on 02/11/10 at 10:56 PM "as if the absence of everything was kissed
sudden
by the presence of something," There is nothing I do not love about the comparison you make but since my love began with just one kiss, I am drawn to this. Lip bit, licked and remembered, when I was kissed I stayed kissed because the impact was like this poem. Amazing, everything at once and then some. I love that you draw from mythology and bedtime story fantasy. Then you end it so perfectly"there was a moment in the absence of everything
when i was kissed silent by the presence of something," amazing...add to Fav's.
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| Posted by Nanette Bellman on 02/12/10 at 05:48 AM Let me start by saying, I too, believe that the first thing that comes out of our mouths, we mean. Regardless if we say we don't. Deep down inside of us, it's true. I love how you have these man-made cliche's in this. I also love how you hid "I love you..." in that last big stanza before the end. |
| Posted by V. Blake on 02/12/10 at 05:53 PM "his story has been hallmarked..." Now that right there was pretty damn clever. Astounding as usual, Frankie. |
| Posted by Melissa Arel on 02/13/10 at 03:38 PM what can i say that hasn't already been sung about this poem? its stunning, and breath-taking. love it! |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 02/13/10 at 04:16 PM Worthy of many re-reads, very richly developed. I also love the I love you 's hidden toward the end. Thank you. |
| Posted by Linda Fuller on 11/18/10 at 01:13 AM This is so good - glad to see it as POTD. |
| Posted by Lauren Singer on 11/18/10 at 03:48 AM oh my God. my heart stopped. |
| Posted by Meghan Helmich on 08/30/11 at 01:43 PM Yes! |
| Posted by LK Barrett on 01/14/12 at 02:05 PM ...brilliant, per the usual suspects above...but more than that, your singular perception. Gods "seem so inherently human by nature" because we are the most sacred when we hold ourselves up, flaws and all, to be our own best and worst angels. TY for another righteous write, my friend. LK |
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