Tired of all I hear and see

Tired of all I hear and see,
A verdant pleasure garden
I decree.

An old stone villa tangled in ivy,
A gravel path through meadow,
Grasses, sedges, ferns,
Meadowsweet, Queen Ann's lace, daisies,
Milkweed and forget-me-nots,
Blackberries where pasture to woodland turns,
White flowers only,
And only white blooming trees,
Dogwoods, magnolias, apples, cherries.
A mossy brook ends in open sky
Mirrored in still green pond.
Reflected there, a green island,
A marble columned shrine,
White in the sunshine.

Along the path a girl,
White and tan, half hidden
Behind soft maple saplings,
High heels on gravel,
White sandals ribboned to silken ankles
Glimpsed below her dress.
I see her pause,
Her woodland face in green shadow.
Her dress a pale white halo,
Demure if not a thing of lace and gauze,
White around the neck,
White along the hem,
White above the waist
White where motion or breeze
Doubles its thickness
And shades what beckons beneath.

Her eyes meet mine,
Calm and observant,
Her smile pensive,
But oh, her form,
Her form so seductive
So full of heat and hint,
I'm left so hot, so impatient
For what's so nigh
Yet so so distant.

By the brook she kneels,
Firm breast to thigh,
And scoops her cupped fingers
Through the crystal current.
She lifts her hands,
I know I'm to come,
Like pearls, the droplets glisten,
I bend, my lips brush her palms,
And I drink that sweet sweet water,
Drink all she has to offer.

Of a sudden I remember:
How I made with you
Just such a garden
In that apartment long ago,
How just such joy was ours to drink,
How the world curved
Till it held just us two,
Safe and hidden within.
But the toilet soon turned yellow
And the dishes piled in the sink.
As we worked and compromised,
The world flattened again,
And lost its incandescent glow.

Now I hear your gasps and sighs
As I fulfill my nightly part.
My blood runs hot ice,
And in my throat and heart
A fearful shout does rise:
Look out! Look out!
Darling be wise!
I have drunk
The bitter wine of Paradise
And in its shrine of lies
Have made all hope my sacrifice.