The Ultimate Vehicle of Earthly Bliss - 6. Silhouettes at Play

Ah, the sometimes confusing feelings of love and relationships.  Not everything is always clear.

Even silent shadows speak with eloquence in this vivid poem.  How beautifully this is done. 

7 hours ago, ReaderPaul said:

Ah, the sometimes confusing feelings of love and relationships.  Not everything is always clear.

Perhaps if this were a poem about a man and woman, maybe the perplexing feelings of general relationships could apply when talking abt this poem's heart, but it's not. It's clearly two women. The heart of this poem is about fear. All Gay people know this fear, that the one you love will turn their back on you and run to a straight relationship because the whole of our society is geared to make this path very, very easy. Does she love me? Does she love me enough -- fear.

The poem to me is the magical moment when the other woman -- perhaps a younger one -- tells the poet that she makes her happy too. Thus, sighing relief at the end; the cessation of fear (at least for the moment) 

6 hours ago, Parker Owens said:

Even silent shadows speak with eloquence in this vivid poem.  How beautifully this is done. 

Part of the cliche circling the lives of Gay people is this "living in the shadows" meme. Here the poet seems to grab it by the horns and relay how these 'shadow people' are just as real, just as loving and afraid, as "normal" people. This is a powerful poem to me, and if I didn't know it came from the first decade of the 20th century, I'd probably assume it was written in the 1970s. It's that honest, and that open.

6 minutes ago, AC Benus said:

if I didn't know it came from the first decade of the 20th century, I'd probably assume it was written in the 1970s. It's that honest, and that open.

I hasten to agree with this. It’s heartening to recognize oneself as real. This poem is as sure and plain as anything to come from the 70’s.