I attach the following without comment and without even the supply of the author’s name (I’m not sure that I have his permission to do so, to be honest), but rather just to gauge people’s views on it as a piece of art (the poetry, not the picture – although I didn’t seek permission to use that either).

How does it sit with everybody?

***

Sunlight through a filter

Of leaves

On my knees, as one

Who believes

In love

Manna from above

Falling again

As rain

Creating sweet rivers

Of tears

Calling, calling

To what no-one sees

Or hears

In the forest.

The falling of trees

***

**** I’ve got no idea what the picture is about. But the title appealed ***

It does seem to have been a day for innuendoes (that’s a type of exotic fruit, for those who were wondering – ‘could I have two melons, a banana and a bunch of innuendoes, please?’) and I had a brief discussion with Stella about her poem in which she suggested that she needed instructions on how men worked and how to handle them and wondered if there might be some instruction booklet out there.

I believed her claims of ignorance on the subject for maybe 37 seconds, of course, but, ever the gentlemen, I offered the advise that such a booklet, if it existed, would be very brief because, really, there isn’t much to know. This is what I said ….

There are no instructions
You won’t need a book
Just take a test drive
Or come by for a look
Pick up the scent
Follow a map
Slip on the step
And fall into my trap

Alternatively, I could furnish you with a step by step guide. But there’s very few steps involved, to be honest.

But she insisted further that a step by step guide would be helpful, so I read the whole manual out loud to her as follows

Are you ready for the lesson
Ready to be taught?
Ready now to do some stuff
You never thought you aught?
Pay attention carefully
Let me take the lead
I’ll tell you what I had in mind
And tell you what you need
Concentrate, my little mate
I’ll show you what to do
Here’s step one – let’s have some fun
There’s really no step two

I stumbled upon an academic discussion regarding erotic poetry here and an open invitation to create some. Despite my well documented policy of avoiding anything that might be deemed ‘even slightly ‘naughty’ I stepped briefly out of my comfort zone and attempted a few suggestive lines.

The lines themselves fell mostly flat, as do most of my lines (‘do you come here often?’), but I reproduce them by way of encouraging others to be more creative and maybe a little bit flirtatious.

**

You are my ocean to explore

A mystery of blue

I steer my ship from left to right

To touch all sides of you

I pause upon each wave, each crest

To take in every view

Navigating every inch

Each port explored anew

I’m yearning, burning, turning on

I’m learning still, that’s true

As long as I don’t turn you off

Then any turn will do

***

There was also an invitation to explore the not so subtle difference between erotica and good old-fashioned debauchery. So I offer the following ….

***

Erotica, that gentle touch

That subtle hint of blue

A secret glance, a private dance

A passing chance, with you

A single feather on your skin

I sense your heart rate quicken

But then I go and fuck it up

By using the whole chicken

***

I’m tired, so that’s what the tee-shirt photo is all about. I just thought you should know.

But it has suddenly occurred to me that some of Cyranny’s posts like this one here might be just a teeny-weeny bit sexually suggestive. Perhaps not. I could be reading far too much into them. Being of pure mind and spirit myself, though, I wanted to make it clear that any responses on my part, to her, were intended to be in no such way suggestive (Are you listening Kate?)

Here is a recent response. You can judge for yourself.

Let me touch you in places

That we’ve never been

Let me leave little traces

On what can’t be seen

Let more than my finger

Linger long in your mind

Let us look deep inside you

And see what we find

Let me study you closely

Every line on your map

Let the touch of our thought

Find you caught in a trap

Let me in. Let me hold you

Enfold you with care

Let me be what you see

When there’s no one else there

Is it just my mind? Or is the rudest word in there, somehow, ‘finger’?