Venus and Adonis


How swiftly
How sharply
She loved him

He but raised
His eyes to Hers
And pierced Her Heart

If he had known
He might have tried
Not to love Her

He could not help but love Her

She did not take him to Her Bed

They coupled in high meadows
Surged and broke against boulders
Leapt in torrent streams
Squirreled in nests of grass

When She left
In Her Chariot of Swans
She charged him to
Beware the Beast

Challenging him
Be more than mortal

Look for eternity
In darker woods

From afar
She heard his cry

And She returned

To change his blood to flowers