Carol Ann Duffy's "Warming Her Pearls" - an example of a good erotic poem

[grasshopper.uk]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned John Donne ,who wrote some of the most virile and muscular erotic poetry in the English language, eg an excerpt from Elegy XX:


Licence my roving hands, and let them go,

Behind, before, above, between, below.

O my America! my new-found-land,

My kingdom, safeliest when with one man man'd


I must confess I've always found Donne pretty hot stuff, even after all those centuries...
Regards,Maz

[sree]

Rite of Spring
- Seamus Heaney

So winter closed its fist
and got it stuck in the pump.
The plunger froze up a lump

in its throat, ice founding itself
upon iron. The handle
paralysed at an angle.

Then the twisting of wheat straw
into ropes, lapping them tight
round stem and snout, then a light

that sent the pump up in flame
it cooled, we liftd her latch,
her entrance was wet, and she came.

[lil_pygmypossum]

Originally posted by sree
Came across this poem.
Great metaphor !





[This message has been edited by sree (edited 08-05-2002).]

In regard to Sharon Olds use of the word "
"slug"

I found this poem as with all Old's poetry...it BITES!!

I think she is extremely skilled in realism but erotic

Not IMHO

using a slug for a guy's penis is a complete turn-off for me.

Cheers to the Renaissance poets they really knew how to seduce with their imagery.

Cheers Pygmy

[KevinI]

Sree posted a Seamus Heaney, surprised though that no-one has yet posted "The Otter" which I've always thought of as a great poem and I've read as an erotic poem (or do I just have a screwy mind?)

When you plunged
The light of Tuscany wavered
And swung through the pool
From top to bottom.

I loved your wet head and smashing crawl,
Your fine swimmers’ back and shoulders
Surfacing and surfacing again
This year and every year since.

I sat dry-throated on the warm stones.
You were beyond me.
The mellowed clarities, the grape-deep air
Thinned and disappointed.

Thank God for the slow loadening
When I hold you now
We are close and deep
As the atmosphere on the water.

My two hands are plumbed water.
You are my palpable, lithe
Otter of memory
In the pool of the moment,

Turning to swim on your back,
Each silent thigh-shaking kick
Re-tilting the light,
Heaving the cool at your neck.

And suddenly you’re out,
Back again, intent as ever,
Heavy and frisky in your freshened pelt,
Printing the stones.

[rpalekar]

(snip)

Plagiarists' opinions don't count.

bye
Rishi

Exactly.

[HowardM2]

rpalekar

This thread is not for you to add your own efforts, but the work of recognized poets which is specifically erotic.


Howard

[Clive2]

Sharon Olds - when she tries to do erotic - makes me queasy.

She wrote one poem where she wanks this guy off by the side of a pool and his spunk shoots past her shoulder. My God that had me reaching for the sick bucket.

[squarcircle2]

This has one of my favorite lines of All Time. " God comes in..."
UH!

Anne Sexton

You All Know the Story of the Other Woman

It's a little Walden.
She is private in her breathbed
as his body takes off and flies,
flies straight as an arrow.
But it's a bad translation.
Daylight is nobody's friend.
God comes in like a landlord
and flashes on his brassy lamp.
Now she is just so-so.
He puts his bones back on,
turning the clock back an hour.
She knows flesh, that skin balloon,
the unbound limbs, the boards,
the roof, the removable roof.
She is his selection, part time.
You know the story too! Look,
when it is over he places her,
like a phone, back on the hook.

[daughter2Lv]

I am going to spout my opinion, representing all the common people out there. I do not think that the common person would think that this was a special piece of work because it is boring.It seems that you could post Poems from old accomplished famous author's and poets here and it would be ripped to shreds. I was expecting to read a good, sensual, erotic poem here but was incredibly bored instead. You have to cater to the common folk too in your writing. I get the feeling I will get shot down for this one but I just had to say it. Thanks!

[Lara Anderson]

I agree Daughter. When it comes to erotic poetry I dont like to think too much about what the author means by their use of imagery. I like my erotic poetry to be self explanatory. I f I have to stop midway through reading to try and work out its meaning the fire in my stomach becomes drenched. Although shes not an erotic poetic shes an erotic writer, I love Anai Nin[ think this is the correct spelling]. Now she knew how to build a fire within the reader.

[Monk Bretton]

Anaïs Nin. With a diacritic over the first i.

Monk.

P.S. can anyone who has a print copy of Warming her Pearls have a look at it and see if the fifth line of the poem (above) is correct. On some, but not all internet postings of the poem there are only four lines per stanza. The way it is printed above, with a fifth line in the first stanza consisting of only one word looks rather gauche to me. But maybe I am wrong. Both versions exist on the internet but it reads so much better without the thumping gap between of and her.

[Dyna]

Heh - I have just decided after reading all of this type of poetry that mine is a bit too explicit for tender eyes...I would not call it porn...but it is very visual.

If poetry had ranking...I'd call it NC-17. So I'll abstain from posting my erotic works here unless someone dares me to post a taste.

[MEHope]

But is it poetry, Dyna?

[Donner]

A discussion of what is and what is not erotic poetry, and what makes a poem erotic should be continued in Voyages. Thanks.

Donner

[Dyna]

Cool - thanks for the note for the discussion, I'll sneak over there when the time is available.

*snip*

Dyna,

If you want to post your work, post it as a separate thread, not to this one. This isn't the place for critique or a discussion of your work, but for examples of erotic work by established writers. As I said, take this discussion to Voyages and start a thread there if you want to continue.

Donner