Wine

Writ to the Mad Gypsy, at a time when it seemed she was ascendent to the title of The Final Muse, this piece of romantic and erotic expression was used in a reading on the 2nd Southern Poets' Reading Tour with the lady herself in attendance as one of the other poets, as well as her arch romantic rival, The Angel. A good time was not had by all.

Wine

touching softly the fringe of your hairline, testing the holy waters
of the sweat that forms on your brow, even when it is cool,
as the fool rushes not in this time, but begs the wine
of an earnest heart to age to full flavour and ripe with intoxication
made manifest in the last kiss I place on lips begging
to be crushed so that the juices may flow from the cask
and down the winestems set slightly apart
until the toast is given and the thirst is driven
from us in a wave of warmth made effervescent
by sacred words spoken between the press of life.


William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.