But a Man

Posted on September 13, 2019 by

33 Comments

“As if you were on fire from within.

The moon lives in the lining of your skin.” 
― Pablo Neruda

He is but a man, an ordinary man, yet~
he dares to alight near my moon-glow flesh,
and I cannot speak his name, for I have been struck
down by his alluring ravenous presence.

In my eyes he matches the gods
Viking warriors, those most feared, who dared
to take what they wished
who vanquished all other men for
none could match their courage,
their willingness, to own what they desired.

Wrapped in the softest furs of their animal spirits,
they plundered both harsh land and unwilling women.
And yet he, with utmost patience, sits
here in front of me, at my feet no less
like a common ordinary man
allowing the music of my lilting voice to captivate
and enchant, to calm his victor spirit,
whilst my hungry heart sings to his dark soul and
I see the white hot fire, the burning, the yearning ignite.

My ruby stained lips, at last whisper his given name,
~RAGNAR~
this is what he has longed for, waited for, begged for
with his dancing flame eyes.

My own eyes ache with the
passion of a thousand fragrant blossoms
floating in the euphoric air and I at last succumb, for what else can I do?

But all ~ this zealous fire, this agony, this ecstasy, this
plunge of the deepest sword
must be endured~
for even a poor victorious warrior
hungers for the elusiveness of love
and the essence of a sensuous woman.

©2021 Linda Lee Lyberg

Sanaa is hosting at Poets United: Wild Friday and has asked us to write a Poem inspired by the title of Sappho’s poetic masterpiece, “In my eyes he matches the gods.”

Also linking to dVerse Poets Pub: Descriptive Detail

Linda Lee Lyberg is a wife, mother, artist, published poet and author. She resides in Mesa, AZ with her husband Pete (aka The Big Viking) of 23 years, and her dog, Ricky Bobby. Linda writes various forms of poetry, as well as short stories. 
You can read more of her works at: charmedchaos.com
and her Amazon Author Page

Category: PoetryTags: , , ,

33 Comments on “But a Man”

  1. My goodness this is beyond beautiful, Linda! ❤️❤️ I am delighted by the vivid details especially; “In my eyes he matches the gods, Viking warriors, those most feared, who dared to take what they wished,” and love the pacing with which you lead us to the conclusion, “for even a poor victorious warrior hungers for the elusiveness of love and the essence of a sensuous woman.” Bravo!! 😍 Thank you so much for writing to the prompt! ❤️❤️

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. I like the description of courage implied in these lines: “none could match their courage,
    their willingness, to own what they desired.” And the phrase: “alluring ravenous presence”. Very descriptive and memorable throughout.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. There is so much intensity here. The first stanzas are almost scary–all right no “almost” about it–but things change when he kneels at her feet, showing his humanity. I can see her smiling, pleased…

    Liked by 1 person

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