Gina Athena Ulysse

La Baigneuse

crouched
in the tub
her feet firmly
planted
against the mat
dampness
her knees
pressed
to get her
support her chin
steeped in thought
she links her fingers
encircling her legs
within her arms
retreating
within
her nakedness
she gathers
her stringy
locks
her fingers
entangled
in masses
of black
she lowers
her head
silently
awaiting
her benediction
enveloped
in coldness
a
tremble

The Ring

He said---
it came from Timbuktu
a thick band of silver or nickel
silver &nickel?
silver on dry chapped skin
                                                        je la trouve très érotique

i first noticed it while his hand was resting on his leg
the nickel/silver accentuated the orange buried in the khaki of his jeans
making the ring look like it had accidentally fallen into a wooden pot of ochre
and was quickly wiped with a wet indigo cloth that soaked up the orange
and left faint trails of yellow mixed with blue
it was on his index finger
i prefer it there
                                                       là je la trouve très érotique
on any other finger it's just a band
but in the space between thumb and forefinger
the ring has depth
rows of hand carved ornate designs
iconic signs
codes   magical words
of a secret sect
to which he now belongs
only after he crossed hundreds of deserted miles on foot
with a camera in an empty knapsack--
after hitching a ride with white peace corps volunteers
crowded in a dusty land rover --
making his way to Timbuktu                                                   

this is why i told him
the ring conjures images
of Matisse's famous dancers painting
of naked women holding hands
dancing  in  a  circle
of naked women holding hands
dancing in a circle
that they
we form around him
as he stands there fully clothed
with this ring on his index

A Manifesto for Dreamers

When Goya's Saturn picked up his son
and devoured him head first
He wanted to keep him from dreaming