the queen

 

cold, sterile brides, they dance for me, around me,

with immovable grace. the silence of the harem, the

prosperous step, they depart from me, plush missionaries

and come back wearing sickly, obvious perfume, like

secret lovers, necking in the tallgrass, with the

white, curling blossoms, who promise and boast

like pathologic

liars.

 

my children,

 

 

i sigh in my wet droop of wings, my body fat with the future,

bloated, i lie like a scuttled ship, watching their dance, their

fruitless tango, and the white children sleeping in their

cells, in their royal jelly. the pupae, transparent as

excuses, in the vague shape of one of us – they dream

of flowers, puckered like unkissed lips, bed of pollen,

spoiled bed, beds

of wilting

assumptions.

 

and in the dark catacombs, the sticky labyrinth, we drown

driven, driven mad, we knead and pluck and fumble, mouthless

hive, braindead head, we are the thoughts inside, provoked,

we are the blush, intent, as i pout in the corner,

the hive soft and white as a deathbed.

i am soon to be succeeded – they can

smell the indecision on my breath.

 
 

white, veiled heads appearing, frank and businesslike, they come

measuring me like morticians examining a corpse, in its best

sunday dress, to outfit it for its pinewood box, for its damp plot.

gloved hands, the honey dripping like sex, yellow and

warm, as my cold, sterile brides mourn this

secret rape.

 

the flowers nod and accuse like tattletales, and i am lazy,

listless, the new queen prepared, breeding, smug as a spoiled child

they smother me, and the drones

watch emptily.

Reviews

[Juniper]

Greetings, Ajax!

A most enjoyable poem. I love your word usage here; it brings a wonderful, aristocratic air to this poem. It's definitely reminiscent of your earlier works, (which, I had difficulty understanding at first with all of thier subtle underlying messages) with the quality of your recent ones. There's nothing to throw criticism on here; it's really a well-done poem. I'd recommend sending this off for publishing or something.


Two thumbs up,

June

[Charles]

This is another very good poem, powerful imagery, great metaphors, very apt (and detailed) description of the queen in her last days. There are really too many good things to list here - it flows, it resonates, it works. Nice writing!

[Gold Milan]

some brilliant imagery here, this is quite good