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Venus Sighed
Venus sighed and turned aside,
tired of seeing people try
to feebly mimic Beauty’s pride,
too easily pleasing hungry eyes
that eat what they are given.
Steeped in heaps of plastic flowers,
plastic breasts and plastic towers,
the Goddess sought a fleshy bower
on which her blessings she might shower,
a sight to hang her hopes on.
Searching studios, beaches, bars,
bedrooms, classrooms, shops, bazaars,
reviewing reels of movie stars
left Venus with a wanting heart,
forlorn for what would follow.
Where can Beauty’s candle burn,
how will ancient rites be learned,
who to worship at her altar,
what be offered in her honor?
Venus yearned inside and sighed.
.
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Suzanne Ramljak, an art historian and writer, is currently Chief Curator at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her exhibitions and related catalogues include, Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld; Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art, and Elie Nadelman: Classical Folk.
Oh, Suzanne … this is PHENOMENAL! I may possibly commit it to memory.
I see from your bio information below the post that you are an “art person.” Me, too. It shows in your poem, too. I can’t say enough good things. Maybe we’ll have to visit your place of employment sometime, as we are just across the state from you.
So well done!
Suzanne, I sigh with you and Venus. These days it seems the quest is for the bizarre and not the beautiful, the trashy and not the classy, the inane and not the sane. I appreciate your poem very much and you even more for saying what should be said!
I realize I’m preaching, or rhyming, to the converted by sharing a poem on Beauty with this Society. You are all keepers of this flame, which should not be allowed to go out…
What a beautiful poem. I enjoyed it very much Suzanne.
This is an extremely effective and provocative poem, since it deals with the perennial issue of physical beauty and sexual desire in a way that is not preachy or moralistic or didactic. The poet first establishes the mythic background of the goddess of erotic urges, and then places Venus in a world of trashy and gimcrack fakery (the word “plastic” is crucial here) — a world where all of our supposedly sexy studios, beaches, bars, bedrooms, classrooms, shops, bazaars, and movie stars are basically devoid of any real eroticism rooted in human affection. They are just mechanical aids to masturbation.
The poet does not complain about this, or berate it, or go on a moral rant against it. She simply PRESENTS it to the reader. Also, her rhyming is sporadic rather than regular. This is not a fault, but a rhetorical way for the poet to suggest brokenness — namely, the shattered state of contemporary sexuality, which is simply not working despite our frenetic attempts to keep it alive through endless efforts and new perversions.
Her last stanza ends with diction that is unashamedly religious: “Beauty’s candle,” “ancient rites,” “worship at her altar,” “offered in her honor.” These words drive home the reality (now forgotten) that sexuality and eroticism were always thought of as divine in sane cultures — whether in an ancient world that sacrificed in the temple of Venus, or in later ages that still thought of sex as not a mere bodily function, but as something to be enhanced with modesty, special sanction, and love.
Does this mean we can’t be bawdy and raucous and salacious at times? Of course not. Those things are part of life too. But above all of them — chaste marriage as well as brothel romps — there stands the great and holy goddess Venus.
Thank you, Ms. Ramljak. It is a wonderful thing to be surprised by a poem.
And thank you, Mr. Salemi. It is my pleasure to please you…
Beautifully managed rhyme, rhythm, and stanza form in a poem on the loss of beauty. Considering the final stanza, this loss even amounts to disbelief. Wondrous idea to present it as a search undertaken by a goddess herself deposed and discounted. The title with reprise in the final words provides a pensive quiet ending–prepared for by stanzas with a shorter-line let-down concluding each. Fine work!
Venus is currently the ‘Evening Star’ and is the brightest object in the night sky bar the moon. Even the planet is radiant.
Thanks for a fine read Suzanne.
Yes, Paul, a good reminder to gaze up and keep our eye on this beacon of Beauty…
Howdy!
Great topic! Subject selection is half the battle. My favorite part is the envelope created of the first and last line and the way it is inverted.
“Venus sighed and turned aside,
… Venus yearned inside and sighed.”
There is a musical quality to reversals like that. I’m of a mixed mind on one line in the middle though.
“the Goddess sought a fleshy bower
on which her blessings she might shower,
a sight to hang her hopes on.”
The inverted phrase, “on which her blessings she might shower” seems grammatically correct to me, but the word order stumbles me a bit. On the other hand, it’s a sort of archaism not wholly alien to the mien of the poem as a whole; it does help set the feeling of an ancient tone.
The best for last: The voice of this poem, with its stacking up of images, parallelisms, rhymes and then terse release at stanza end felt a great deal like Edward Arlington Robinson’s Eros Turannos to me, an excellent placement, given the subject matter.
Looking forward to more!
I appreciate your attentive reading, Daniel, and for you steering me to Edward Arlington Robinson’s potent “Eros Turannos”.
For me, this intriguing poem highlights the heinous slaughter of all things true and beautiful… to the point where when I read “Venus sighed”, I’m thinking Venus-cide. Should I be? It’s very clever.
Yes! None of us noticed that except you, Susan. If the word-play was unintentional it doesn’t matter — it still works perfectly. The Italians say “Se non e vero, e ben trovato” (even if it’s not true, it’s a lucky find).
Susan, you are the clever one for reading or sounding the title line this way! Without over elaborating, I don’t see the plight of Beauty/Venus as one of slaughter or death. In my view, it/she will never die, just suffer from our neglect and disregard. I am actually working on a novella, titled “The Wake”, about a present-day visit to Earth from the Goddess of Beauty who goes undercover on a reconnaissance mission to assess how mortals are faring aesthetically. Stay tuned for more adventures of Venus!
So you are rather … Venus-eyed ? 🙂
Okay, you asked for it:
Venus sighed as Venus eyed the Venus-cide.
I actually quite like that new line; a very good topic for anyone trying to make sense of beauty in today’s world; some nice rhymes, particularly at the beginning; I think you could make the poem longer and further develop the theme; seems to me there is both humour and seriousness here. Thanks for this. Best, L.
Agreed, Louis, this is not my last word on the topic. As mentioned above, I’m writing a novella on Venus’s undercover visit to Earth that will indeed develop this vision further, with both seriousness and a touch of humor…
Venus’ aside when Venus eyed the Venus-cide: Venus sighed.