Friday Five: The Human Connection Through Poetry
Happy first Friday of April! Among other holidays, April is National Poetry Month in the US.
We are an extrememly fortunate organization to have had a number of prolific and profound poets grace our content, and we thought it would be a fiiting opportunity to share 5 we love dearly, as a reminder to feel our feelings.
These poems invite you to contemplate your own experiences of intimacy and to recognize the complexity that exists in every human connection. They remind you of the importance of recognizing diversity, vulnerability, and mutual respect in our intimate encounters, as well as the need to honor each individual's autonomy in their pursuit of pleasure and connection.
Where applicable, we’ve included links on supporting the poets and their work.
We hope you’ll enjoy, and share, these 5 poems for an introspection of intimacy, desire and human connection:
Afternoon delight
The trail of clothes
was a nice touch.
But it felt kind of like
you thought I didn’t know
where the bedroom was.
– Joel
2. Thank You
In the dark,
we held hands
and kissed each other into safety,
letting our nervous laughs
(the kind that precede newness)
drown out the need for performance,
the bated breath for the naked reveal.
Showing a piece at a time,
holding it up in our hands, claiming it in the name of pleasure.
Covering it with our mouths,
biting at a chance
to be gentle,
to say
“See this here?
This portion may greet the sun.
Not only do I want you here,
I will devour all of you,
whole.”
3. Big Spoon
His back a blank canvas...
I run my fingers up and down
the length of his smooth back,
abundant love pouring out of my fingertips
creating a mural of protection on his skin.
With every stroke, I paint his flesh with God.
4. A Reminder: Sex Work is Work
To the ones who
salivate for my skin
my touch
my body
I give you permission to experience me
in exchange for your money
a sacred transaction
Don’t treat me like I’m second class
remember that you’re a guest in this domain
and I can take back this invitation just as easily
as you begged for it
5. Walk A Mile
the world turns
as a woman walks by
they stop and stare
they point and whisper
in awe or in disgust
it's unclear how they look at her
some say words like heavenly and divine
some say words like whore and slut
One seems to put women up on a pedestal
one seems to put women down in the dirt
why go to such extremes
when you talk about women
it's always related on how she uses her body
and for what reasons
it's always related to her sensuality
and how she chooses to use it
the moral of the story is
the morality that is put on women
how she needs to hold a stature
that only dictates her composure
the power of choice
easier said than done
when you are someone's daughter
when you are someone's wife
the world turns
as a woman walks by
to look at her from behind
then carries on as if she was never there
then carries on as if she never mattered
May these reflections inspire you to cultivate more authentic, compassionate and nurturing relationships in our lives.
