in the strangest corners of memory
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Uncategorized
how new is this? I composed it live, right now, in this post create window. If there is a power outage in the next few seconds, it will be lost, forever. This is the nature of the truth.
I’m back.
in the strangest corners of memory
I will find you in the strangest corners of memory.
The way you took your drink and the pattern
of cool drops of sweat that formed on the glass
as we spoke of nothing as foreplay to
an inevitable union, moments in the future.
The texture of the skin on your back when…
when you were warm and full of life and me.
The way your hair fell in my face when I was
too busy with other things to notice, but remembered
later, and smiled a slow and gentle memory.
The scent of jasmine filtered through the oils
of your skin as you lay beside and beneath me
asking for nothing more than everything I had
and was and would ever be and I gave it all
in joy and hope and dreams and passion undismayed.
The texture of your kisses and the questions you asked
with hands and arms and lips and legs and sounds
that were not words but spoke infinite eloquences
that stole my heart and soul and memory of promises
I had made before I saw your eyes and lost the pain of life.
William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.
the objectification of women
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Journal, Thoughts about Life
Several years ago I suggested an idea for a series of artistic projects to a female artist of my (intimate) acquaintance, provisionally entitled "parts of a woman". I dropped out of the idea as I decided it would open me to accusations of objectifying women (women can objectify themselves, and many do, but for a man, particularly any man who holds women in esteem as I do, such an accusation is wounding, grievously wounding)…
I wonder of she ever got around to the project? If not, I would suggest someone take it up…I would be happy to team with a graphics artist or painter to provide words to accompany their creations. Ideally a woman should handle the art…I don’t want this to devolve into a Playboy moment…God knows our society has gotten more mileage than they should from that "revolution" (it wasn’t really a revolution, as such implies a state of change in rulership…there was none…it was more of a bread-and-circuses media event to declare our society transformed. It sells magazines and videotapes, but provides no real value to society…)
It is not that I do not value or take pleasure in the female form, but likewise I am not obsessed with it to the point of no longer regarding those in its possession as human beings worthy of real respect and affection.
A very clever writer once said that "Erotica occurs between the ears, pornography between the thighs." I can agree with this. Having been in a few relationships where the sex was good but the real intimacy was not present, I found swiftly how quickly such matches devolve into something first flavourless, then annoying and gritty and sour. Not for me.
I figure I have enough left in me for one grand romantic arc in this life, or a parade of meaningless shadows…I’d rather go out a champion of my own cause than a victim of it.
Sex, Lies and MP3’s
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Karla Sasser, Pink Jade, music, podcast, the Selke
This is an article I posted as "Sex, Lies and MP3’s" on Author’s Den, earlier today, detailing my efforts in putting together my romantic and erotic poetry tracks for Valentine’s Day for my podcast show, From Out of the City.
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Okay, I admit to a certain perfectionistic streak in me, something I control by forcing myself into a single draft mode. I don’t allow myself to rewrite…what I hammer out is either a keeper or a junker. No turd polishing.
My resolve has been tested in general by my new podcast show, "From Out of the City", and in specific by this past week’s goal, to craft two tracks worth of audio programs…a romantic and an erotic one.
First problem, selecting the material. I ran a poll on my blog…got a few ideas. But, in the end, I wasn’t going to cop out and throw the selection process on anyone else. I had to make the choices.
Yeah, I had to pick a handful of works from amongst about 13,000. Good luck.
I sat down and picked two lists.
For Track A, the romantic works, I picked a selection of some of my best.
- *The Unicorns
- *Sacred Smile
- *Monument
- *Damascus, Movement III
- *The Patchwork Skirt of My Love
- *Tread Softly
- *Love Gods of a Forgotten Religion
- *We Owe Debt to Memory
- *A Kiss is an Act of Bravery
- *Soubrette
The "Unicorns", "Monument" and "Tread Softly" were easy calls. Some of my most enduring works, sweetly romantic, proven winners.
"A Kiss is an Act of Bravery" was a last minute addition. I’d forgotten the piece until recently brought back to my attention my the Selke, the young woman-muse who had inspired it in the first case. Her reading of it for a show a few weeks back reminded me that it was a good candidate for Valentine’s Day.
How could I not do "The Patchwork Skirt of My Love", "Love Gods of a Forgotten Religion" and "Sacred Smile"? All three were award-winning works in their own right and evoked such wonderful images. I have to admit the connections between the latter, "Damascus (Movement Three)" and my second marriage made it a challenge, but I was game.
"Soubrette"? I’ve always considered that one under-rated and it resonates with me.
Finally we get "We Owe Debt to Memory", which I think lays a solid framework for romanticism. I couldn’t say no to that one.
Now to the eros. Tougher call. My works, while often in the erotic vein, are not as explicit as some might expect. Indeed, Walt Whitman was as explicit as I. And he’s been gone for some time, you know.
The list I came up with was great…
- *A Summoned Fire (Pink Jade)
- *Warm Breath Stirs Soft Flesh (Pink Jade)
- *Touch (Pink Jade)
- *Possession
- *Wine
- *Tracery (Pink Jade)
- *Jasmine and Plumeria (Pink Jade)
- *Dare We Cross the Rubicon?
- *The Satyr’s Suit
- *How Would You Have Me Touch You?
I sat down, after I completed the readings and the music for the romantic track, and worked these. Rough. I was doing half "Pink Jade" works and a couple from my affair with the Mad Gypsy (eerie coincidence…having not spoken to her in a year, I got an email from her while working on the recordings. The empaths still vibrate.)
"The Satyr’s Suit" and "Dare We Cross the Rubicon", which I had written for Author’s Den, were easy calls. Likewise the two to the Gypsy, "Wine" and "Possession".
"How Would You Have Me Touch You"? A logical choice for a reading, as were a selection of the works from the "Pink Jade" series.
I finished the read and decided to experiment with using Ravel’s "Bolero" for the background music.
After three tries, I was furious with annoyance. I couldn’t get the balance.
I sat back and clicked on the files that the Selke had recorded for me, as background for some of the pieces. Just breathing, soft sighs, little sounds in the back of her throat. The sort of sounds that signify a woman’s contentment with lovemaking.
Effective.
I threw out a day’s work and started over.
First, some humour. Something unexpected, transitioning from real life to love life.
"Lust Bunnies". Perfect.
Then something light, but nonetheless erotic, a flirtation.
"Swerve(flirt)" Having established the need, we’re establishing the seduction.
Now, something transitional. Something with the presence to have us bring in the undeniably erotic vocalizations of my sweet tempered and most loyal muse.
"The Priest of Passion Serves the Sacrament". Excellent choice, erotic, achingly so. The lover as worshipper, bound by faith to love as much as possible, to bring pleasure on the altar of a woman’s body.
Okay, we’re there, we’re raising the room temperature…how far do we take this?
"Prescient Tense: Rose Petals" How sweet, erotica with some gentle romance. Soft core sweetness.
Le’s pull something from the "Pink Jade" works…something unexpected…
"Thin Skin (Pink Jade)" Curves and soft, warm skin. Touching and caressing.
Yes, that’s it! Now, let’s drop the bomb…
"Passion Sympoetique". All three movements: Seduction, Penetration, Sustain. I could hear the music, already, in my head.
Now to bring it to, pardon the phrase, a climax. I had written a piece lately that seemed to get many all hot and bothered. Good enough referral there.
"Feral With Desire".
I had barely finished the last words of that piece into the microphone when the loop browser on my Garage Band software was open and I was assembling the backing track. Guitars, pianos, harps, mandolins…and, The Selke’s backing vocals, beginning after the first two works, and ending the entire recording with a final, sated sigh.
I felt like Keith Emerson. He told a story of having taken Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s recording of Alberto Ginastera’s "Toccato and Fugue in D Minor" to the Swiss composer’s home to have him listen to it. As the final notes faded, the maestro began banging his cane on the floor screaming "Diabolo!"
The keyboard god was worried he’d offended the composer, who explain through his interpreter that quite the contrary, this was how he had heard it in his own mind when he composed it. He was marvelling at how the pomp rock trio had captured what no orchestra had managed to.
I know how he felt, the music came like magic. I mixed and adjusted, tweaked and adapted.
I listened to the final tracks. Then listened again. The listened again.
Then I reached for my upload button as I spoke the nunc dimittis.
I was done.
erotique poetry 101b
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Journal, Pink Jade, podcast, the Leopard
must have caffeine. give me your caffeine. urrrraghurgh
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…better.
stayed up way too late last night, working on the music and vocals for the Track B podcast…man, I have learned more in the last few days than I ever wanted to know about some things, but that’s what makes life interesting.
Not final, but here’s the current list of works being used in this track, now:
As I Slide Into You
Passion Sympoetique
feral with desire (nb - not to be confused with "feral with a side order of potato skins")
the priest of passion serves the sacrament (nb - so as to be accused once more of blasphemy)
lust bunnies
swerve (flirt)
Prescient Tense (Rose Petals)
Pink Jade: Thin Skin
This is by NO MEANS FINAL. As god of my own universe, I reserve the right to make changes up to and including the last possible second. Note: less "Pink Jade"…no "leopard"…and some light hearted erotica.
I am evaluating a small cluster of my works, so blatantly erotic as to be problematic…I’ll see if I want to "go there". Well, yeah, I want to "go there", but maybe not poetically.
uh oh, the wolverine’s loose again. Anyone got an aluminum baseball bat? Ideally with welded-on spikes?
Dreams, Goblins and Intimacies
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Radio City of Legends
Three people have already signed on to be alternate readers for my special podcst show later this month, where some of my poems will be read by other writers and readers…volunteers are still welcome…drop me a line if you like.
I was gratified when I swung by the Internet Archive at www.archive.org, which is where I stow my soundfiles…the response has been nice and downloads of my poetry are starting to increase…
I was interested to note the big movers, those that have a high "batting average" wherein it is the ratio of downloads to listens that is used to track popularity.
Current big dogs:
The Philosophy of Dreams ( 25%)
My guess on #3 is that by the time you are through listening to me do "Aside, Astride the Phoenix", "Gibbous" and "Intimacies", you have better things to do than download.
Just my thoughts.
I have a chunk of work to do this evening, trying to juggle the flaming cats in zero gravity required to assemble this week’s show of FROM AN UNEXPECTED QUARTER, featuring Nordette Adams.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to the show…go now to Apple’s iTunes Music Store, hit the podcast area and join for free! If you’re too lazy to click that much, just
Click here to suscribe to THE ROMANTIC POET OF THE INTERNET.
Red fur, blue collars and arts all, folks!
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Brigit, Dan McTaggart, Journal, News, The Compleat Panther Cycles, West Virginia, the Leopard
What a day…and it is only noontime here.
Spoke with people from both the Appalachian Education Initiative and Arts Monongahela this morning. Everything still seems on track and I will be working with ArtsMon in the next few days to start cycling up the local publicity on "The Morgantown Suite Poems". Should be fun!
Got some notes from Dan McTaggart, the blue collar poet who is writing one of the intros to "The Compleat Panther Cycles" for me. It is nice to know that people still squirm when they read the 10th cycle…it is erotically charged and very evocative.
And I spent a length of the morning in exchange with the other locked-in introduction writer for the CPCs…this name may mean nothing to you unless you are a regular reader of my poetry, or from the olden days…but
Brigit
has come out of retirement. Yes, the "Goddess of Fire and Poetry" and "the Crimson Panther" has resurfaced to write a rather brilliant introduction to the works. Although I can’t say enough about how "catty" some of her statements regarding her predecessor are. Such is life. Predatory felines will be predatory felines.
For those of you who missed her, Brigit is the unbroken totem-mask of the muse that immediately followed the original panther, and was only named that because of a dream I had, sometimes referred to as "the dream of the three panthers, dancing" wherein I was in a featureless room, hearing old-time carousel music… around me, floating above the floor and circling, were three identical panthers, one of ebony, one of crimson and one of gold. I was very perplexed…then the music stopped and all three smiled at me at once, as if to say that I had to make some sort of decision or take some sort of action…I hesitated…and the music started back up…I awoke feeling that my indecision would have dreadul consequences.
Many have later assigned the "golden panther" to "the leopard" my ex-wife Ann. An I have, to this point, accepted these three women, each unique in her own right, as the logical symbols of the dream…only time will tell, if even it breaks silence.
Anywho, it was a delight to spend some time in the company of someone who knows the process of creativity as well as Brigit does (not without purpose did I brand her "Goddess") as most people I have known seem to limit their knowledge of the arts to "Write me something." It gets tedious being a performing dog for people when they snap their fingers.
Anyway, Brigit stands of her own accord and I look forward to further collaborations with her. I am glad to have her back in my sphere.
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