Muse Lyrics
When I kiss you in all the folding places
of your body, you make that noise like a dog
dreaming, dreaming of the long run he makes
in answer to some jolt to his hormones,
running across landfills, running, running
by tips and shorelines from the scent of too much,
but still going with head up and snout
in the air because he loves it all
and has to get away. I have to kiss deeper
and more slowly – your neck, your inner arm,
the neat creases of your toes, the shadow
behind your knee, the white angles of your groin -
until you fall quiet because only then
can I get the damned words to come into my mouth.
of your body, you make that noise like a dog
dreaming, dreaming of the long run he makes
in answer to some jolt to his hormones,
running across landfills, running, running
by tips and shorelines from the scent of too much,
but still going with head up and snout
in the air because he loves it all
and has to get away. I have to kiss deeper
and more slowly – your neck, your inner arm,
the neat creases of your toes, the shadow
behind your knee, the white angles of your groin -
until you fall quiet because only then
can I get the damned words to come into my mouth.
About
Genius Annotation
Muse: one of nine goddesses in Greek mythology who inspired artists; now used for any figure, usually though not always female, who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.
This is an unrhymed sonnet with the turn halfway through line 9. The sonnet seems to finally allow the muse to answer the poet/lover (who may or may not be male, like the dog in her simile). Or is it the affectionate lover who is the muse for Shapcott’s speaker?
The irregular meter and lack of rhyme contrast with the traditional expectations set by the title.
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