Letitia

Letitia, you with the marble thighs

Have you found the will to roam,

Letitia, you with the gravel eyes

Are you going to go back home?

You stood too long at the garden gate

And let every passer see,

That the heart beneath your breast was still,

That you had no care for me!

 

I fell in love when I saw you first

At the waterfront in Greece,

There at the back of an antique shop

Where you stood, so pensively,

You only wore a shift of lawn

That the sun shone brightly through,

I knew no life could be complete

If I lived it, without you.

 

I had to smuggle you out of there

In the back of a grocer’s truck,

You didn’t have any papers, nor

A passport, just my luck!

So we caught a tramp from Athens

And you gazed out at the sea,

Watching the foam-flecked breakers break,

Disport, so wild and free.

 

Your smile was part of your mystery,

Your eyes had hidden it too,

I ached to learn of your history

Hid deep in the heart of you,

But you had no words to comfort me

Your secrets were your own,

And all the lovers you ever touched

Have gone to their graves alone.

 

They say you stand on a distant shore

And smile at the turning tide,

Next to a stone Prometheus

Like a bridegroom and a bride,

I only wish that you’d cared for me

Before they sent you home,

But your marble heart is beating free

Though you’ve turned my heart to stone.

 

David Lewis Paget

 

Reviews

[Richard Guimond]

Cross sea eloping, art desparate salvage national treasure illegal export ''What were you thinking ?'' would say a judge ''Nothing your honor I did it for Love '' Acquited !!!


loved it

PS There is a Venus in the Louvre I like very much .........

[Anastassia.S]

I love that you spell your full name! You as a writer :)

[Bubo]

How I have missed reading your wonderful work....a tragic tale in poetry x

[Robert James Parfett]

I have never fallen in love with a statue, but having seen many amazing sculptures I can imagine how it could happen! A more light hearted poem this time, but is excellently written as always.

[Marie]

I don't know anything about Leticia, but this is a great portral.

[Zahra]

amazing.enjoyed reading.

[TL Boehm]

love this. there have been moments in my life when I have "fallen" for something unreal. or at least something unable to return the favor. and I have wandered through possibilities...albeit not so poetic. This is another hit out of the park ,Friend.

[Tate Morgan]

Always a pleasure to read you.Though it is a humbling experience i always get the same joy from it

[Forgotten]

Always a pleasure to read poetry from a master of the art itself, such a brilliant poem with a sad end. It flowed beautifully as always and of course has left me speechless. Great job, loved it!

[Veronica Chandler]

This is such a good read, the flow exquisite and easy; I always find wisdom flowing from your pen. Whether it is a cautionary tale, adventure, love story or you scare the daylights out of me, the wisdom is always there to delight and enlighten.
Simply brilliant!

[quinfinn]

i have always agonized the name Letitia, because of the old rugby songs i used to hear, growing up in London. but you have, as usual, pleasingly directed the focus into a different direction with your masterful storytelling pen . well done, sir!