His fatherly love was a foreign country
All cut and thrust and emotional obviate
No physical boundaries and no commitment
Her needs were greater
Than simplistic supine surrender
at the border of his lust.
She needed a soul
Preferably on a platter
Served with a side order of motherly love.
©Alison Jean Hankinson
At poetics for d’Verse we were given border as a prompt. My poem is based on the Richard Strauss version of Salomé which was the first opera I ever went to see in Manchester 1985.
The image is The Dancer’s Reward and is available in the public domain:
http://www.artinthepicture.com/paintings/Aubrey_Beardsley/The-Dancers-Reward/
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Salome is a terrifying story, and the opera is a challenging one… I remember the one I saw which was so visual they had to have it age-restricted.
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I was 18, went on the train to watch it and sat in “the Gods” the cheap seats, was terrified I might fall over and be splatted alongside the head…
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I haven’t seen the opera, but recall the Bible story. The phrase “side order of motherly love” fits my memory of that.
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Wow…you really outdid yourself with this one. Excellent!
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Many thanks. XX
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Salome may have gotten a bad rap biblically; making me wonder why she became so pissed at John the Baptist–like Delilah, it would be cool to know the rest of the story; like when I read Howard Fast’s book on George Washington in 1957, and began to realize that George was a regular, albeit tall, dude with wooden teeth.
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I think it was her mum that was annoyed with him- if my memory serves me…I think she did it for her mum…Richard Strauss was fascinated by oedipus and Elektra complexes.
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I have never seen this opera or any for that matter, but you have stirred in me the want to see one. Lovely writing Alison!
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Dark and dangerous and really well crafted. Good work!
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That is a scary tale and you did an excellent job of portraying the different characters ~ Last stanza is very chilling ~
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Many thanks. XX
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Wow, great poem! You’ve served a dark tale well…
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Many thanks. XX
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I enjoyed your unique approach to this prompt. Very nice work!
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Many thanks. XX
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Not sure I know what sort of love was sought, but fun imagery
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I will have to keep my eye out for this opera !
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I haven’t seen the opera but I have read poems,seen paintings and Oscar Wilde’s play is a classic. I love your poem, Alison. Have you read Carol Ann Duffy’s version? http://salomee.weebly.com/
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A good read…not much remorse..many thanks. xxx
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Wow, those last three lines!!
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Many thanks. XX
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A deft touch on this – cleverly done.
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Many thanks. XX
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I believe Opera presents such an impact on all listeners. This poem is deeply moving.
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Sharp as the knife used to…oh my. Like others I too love that line ‘a side of motherly love’. I read a book during my recovery from anorexia called The Hungry Self by Kim Chernin and she talked very specifically about the connection between appetite, nourishment and moms. It’s kind of a big job. Beautiful writing here.
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Many thanks…yes we get very tied up in it all.
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You captured the darkness of this story beautifully. Delightfully macabre!
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many thanks…perhaps I have a secret dark side…chortle
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Careful. You’ll let it out and then we’ll all know!
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