INSPIRATION

if I were a man, I’d take
from my Muse, wrapped in her gauze
like a Christmas mummy – sweet
skinned conquest, desert whore

if I were a man, I’d write about God
with his Almighty
genitals ringing like a bell & a clap
of thunder

but a woman will sing Mary
back to her sex, let her make love
in the desert, let her breath come
in short growls like gunfire, like laughter

hot from the heart
of a Muse who conjures flame,
arcing brilliant arrows
against the core of our sin

Another awesome collaboration with Deb Morbeto. When choosing poems for her to use, I tend to pick my older or weaker stuff; not because I don’t want to share my best work with her or anyone, but because I want my weaker work to be improved by a new perspective and presentation. Deb can always be counted on for both of these things.

Also, I think I stole the God’s genitals image from Sharon Olds, but I can’t be certain. It’s an old poem.