.

Love Nibbles and Bites

He saw she was sad; deep inside, he was glad.

He smiled, quite mild, and said, “My dear child,
you once were beguiled by a love that seemed wild

and yet, you’re no fool, so please let me step in
to those places where someone unworthy has been.
Since you were abandoned, our union’s not sin.

When scorned by a lover, your life doesn’t end
with his humping and dumping which we will transcend.
Let’s toast our beginning—our blend will help mend
and together, by sharing ourselves, we’ll ascend

to the heights of a new love, a true love for two,
not the heartaches and hopebreaks that he put you through
after caring and sharing the fullness of you
when his daring ensnaring was such a strong brew—
but you learned in the end that his love wasn’t true.

You soon won’t remember his name or his face
nor his other amenities blessed by your grace.
I’m here to displace him who once shared your space;
you’ll forget every trace when we share our embrace.

Don’t delay! Let’s allay with our own cabaret—
a private buffet, a dance very risqué
where we’ll play and we’ll lay and not care what they say!”

Then he drew her head near as he dried her sweet tear,
while whispering gently, “There’s no need to fear.”

And the muse of his smile? “She’s mine for a while.”

.

.

Ken Gosse was raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Now retired, he lives in Mesa, AZ. First published in First Literary Review–East in November 2016, since then in the Society of Classical Poets, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, The Writers Club, Pure Slush, Home Planet News Online, and others.

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8 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Interesting internal rhymes within lines that titillate and fascinate. As one who remarried late in life and whose spouse had been married to a narcissist more than once, this is so fitting and true.

    Reply
    • Ken Gosse

      Thanks, Roy. My wife and I are well-acquainted with narcissism—by way of a close family member rather than a romantic entanglement. Fortunately, this is more a fable about a wolf getting into a sheep’s clothing than personal story.

      I added notes about the form in reply to Cynthia’s comments below.

      Reply
  2. Norma Pain

    I love this cleverly amusing and titillating poem. A most enjoyable bouncy read. Thank you Ken.

    Reply
  3. Paul A. Freeman

    A silver-tongued devil, indeed.

    Let’s hope karma catches up with him.

    A very well-written poem, Ken.

    Reply
    • Ken Gosse

      Thanks, Paul.
      My silver tongue, perhaps, but only as a narrator, not as the character.

      I added notes about the form in reply to Cynthia’s comments below.

      Reply
  4. Cynthia Erlandson

    I’m fascinated by the clever form that I assume you’ve invented — the stanzas of 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 lines, having all of the lines of each stanza rhyme with each other. It seems to reflect the theme of what occurs in the story, of approach and then retreat. Your many playful internal rhymes (playful as the narrator is?) are wonderful, too.

    Reply
    • Ken Gosse

      Thank you, Cynthia.

      The form evolved as I wrote and revised the poem. It’s derived in part from the Poemid (Poem Pyramid) form by Dan Brook I found on Facebook on 9/25/21: 1st stanza, 1 line, 1 syllable; 2nd stanza 2 lines, 2 syllables each … I’ve also written reversing Fibonacci poems with diamond or hour-glass shapes. I tweaked this so each stanza has a monorhyme scheme, employing a generous dose of internal rhyme. The end rhymes are a-bb-ccc-dddd-eeeee-ffff-ggg-hh-i. It might be a fun challenge to try a-bb-ccc-dddd-eeeee-dddd-ccc-bb-a.

      Phrases like the opening line fueled the story, but I’m definitely not the antagonist of the tale. However, I’ve known some guys who could be and some ladies who may have been on the receiving end of their muses.

      Reply

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