Letter to Neruda
by Samuel Peralta
You have been my woman's lover now for
seven years, ever since your two souls met
at La Isla Negra. Yes, I have known
about your assignations for some time,
your breakfast tête-à-têtes, your late-night trysts,
midday intermezzos punctuated
by wine and passionate exclamation.
I have unearthed your letters, your amorous
affirmations secreted in her books,
your verses excerpted in diaries.
I beg of you: Release her captive heart.
You have no need of her, your mistresses
surround you, innumerable are your
conquests. And I — I have only her. She
fills my soul, without her I am empty.
I love her, and sometimes in her absent
eyes I see the flash of remembrance — and
I think sometimes she might still love me too.
But I have not your art, nor scope. Passion
flows like torrents from your pen, where
they are quenched from my own. You are a force
of nature, an earthquake, a hurricane.
And I am left to woo her with nothing
but my shopworn metaphors, my contrived
rhymes, my incompetent pentameter.
So I have gathered for you this ransom,
one hundred and forty poems, all I have.
I have packed them in my well-worn suitcase,
in verses of small denominations.
Take them. Only tell her you will see her
no more, that your art is for another,
that you will always cherish your moments
together. Then unbind her hands, loose her
blindfold, let her run back to me — back to
my waiting heart, inadequate but true.
SAMUEL--LOVE THIS!I especially love the ransom idea. Very nicely done, my friend.
A great piece, Samuel. Wonderful form and lines here.
v fine, samuel. thanks for this--
v fine, samuel. thanks for this--
Very nice poem.
Beautiful.
I liked it until the final stanza Samuel. I feel you should drop and re-write the part .......'Then unbind her hands, loose her blindfold, let her RUN back to me" .....these metaphors sound wrong/do not work.
Thank you all, for the kind words.
Donal, thanks too for the comment, but sorry, the final metaphors are right and work well. And it's not just a feeling - I worked at it, I know they are right.
These metaphors were set up right from the beginning, the "captive heart", and flow naturally from the "ransom of poetry" imagery in the second-to-last stanza.
I believe as you do, that poetry is a craft, and that editing is critical. What you don't see is the 50+ edited versions of this poem before this presented version - and this version is exactly how I want it.
Hi Samule, I'm a little late to this party but I found this poem on one of my friend's Fave lists. Beautiful poem.
Fave.