"girlishness" poems
It is copyright © Leonard Cohen 2006 and Jacket magazine 2007.
Takanawa Prince Hotel Bar
Slipping down into the Pure Land
into the Awakened State of Drunk
into the furnance blue Heart of the
one one one true Allah the Beloved
Companion of Dangerous Moods–
Slipping down into the 27 Hells
of my own religion my own sweet
dark religion of drunk religion
my bended knee of Poetry my robes
my bowl my scourge of Poetry
my final circumcision after
the circumcision of the flesh
and the circumcision of the heart
and the circumcision of the yearning
to Return to be Redeemed
to be Washed to be Forgiven Again
the Final Circumcision the Final
and Great Circumcision–
Broken down awhile
and cowarding
in the blasting rays
of Hideous Enlightenment
but now finally surrendered to the Great
Resignation of Poetry
and not the kind of Wise Experience
or the false kisses of Competitive
Insight, but my own sweet dark
religion of Poetry my ***** prize
my sandals and my shameful prayer
my invisible Mexican candle
my useless oils to clean the house
and remove my rival’s spell
on my girlfriend’s memory–
O Poetry my Final Circumcision:
All the pain was in fearing
and ignoring the girl’s voice
and the girl’s touch and the girl’s
fragrant humbling girlishness
which was lost three wars ago–
And O my love I love you again
I am your dog your cat
your Cleopatran snake
I am bleeding painlessly
from the Final Formless Circumcision
as I push up your dress a little way
and kiss your miraculously
lactating knee
And may all of you who watch
and G-d forbid!
are in a suffering predicament
as I go sliding down to Love–
may you speedily be embraced by
the girlishness of your own
dark girlish religion
Sep 14, 2020
Sep 14, 2020 at 12:46 PM UTC
subtle the beautiful
so very lovely the beautiful girl
she
"and how have you been treated, lately?"
with her tired eyes and lovely beautiful girlishness
she sends total poetry to the world
and i read and so i can write
this love letter to everyone
who might possible see her
or someone else really why should it matter?
"what would her mother say? or her father?"
so very beautifully sane and thusly loving her
she sits across from me so shyly speaking
with eyes and subtley beautiful gestures
we share eachother's lives completely
in the moment called forever
"and how have you been treated, lately?"
she is in love with me and i in love with her
in this lovely beautiful moment called forever
the beautiful girl!
she
shall live forever in every moment of the world
Sep 15, 2010
Sep 15, 2010 at 9:57 AM UTC
I saw you up and walking
Through the mossy
Rainy wet
With jeans that wrap
Like snaking thread
And a strip of cloth
Wound tight around
A bare ***** excuse
For a shirt on your back
Such a careless exterior
That tries to hard
To get noticed
By the boy that walks beside you
I've known you for so long
Yet the only thing I recognize
Are your eyes
Trying so hard
To be grown
But still holding on
To girlishness
And I drop back
Away from you
Encircled in the warmth
Of the new loyalties
Of the new friends
That walk beside me
And I am happy to step away
But sad to go
Jan 11, 2013
Jan 11, 2013 at 1:26 AM UTC
I can't look into your eyes
Anymore
Dearest friend
And not see
How much has changed
Can't you know
That
Isn't right ?
That
Doesn't have to hurt you?
Stinging thread
And dull needles
You use
To sew up the brightness
The songs
As you pack
Your exhaustive
Dainty girlishness
In a cracked metal bag
It hurts me so
To drive this wedge
Into our friendship
After so long
But I can't stay
Because I'm afraid
That if I look into your eyes
I'll see my own pain
Reflected there
Jan 11, 2013
Jan 11, 2013 at 1:17 AM UTC