Torso of an Ex-Girlfriend
               (after Rainer Maria Rilke)

Too late to know that magnificent head,
eyes like black, fully ripened grapes,
hair, a midnight garden for all the senses.
And yet, the torso seems lit from within,
still holds the gleaming power of her gaze.

With this brilliance, the curves of the breasts
dazzle you, a hint of a smile
shimmers through those thighs to that grove
where all creation falls silent.

This translucence flares out like a dying star,
leaving no shadows, no place where you are
not seen, you must change your life.

Copyright © 2003 Gerry Murphy All rights reserved
from Torso of an Ex-Girlfriend
Dedalus Press / Dufour Editions
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission