a he said/she said duet by doreen & joel

Writing collaborations for two.
Post Reply
User avatar
joel
Posts: 1877
Joined: June 24th, 2005, 8:31 am
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia

a he said/she said duet by doreen & joel

Post by joel » February 24th, 2006, 6:28 pm

Him -
Not moral choice, but robed in abstinence
my cowardice becomes my impotence,
my proud excuse for shame.

I prove poor man.
How many thousand honest pleas; God damn—

Her -
A love of Love is measured in degrees.
Desire on fire yet there are no guarantees
a kindling will arouse, instill devotion!

Him -
I asked a graveyard shadow: eulogize
perfections never voiced; apologize
for me.

The shadow answered stoically—
inanimate as truth, heroically
it stretched across the gentle earth to sleep
as if in invitation.

Her -
It is physics which controls a cold emotion.
How can a plea be counted as a test
which wins the heart when beats remain at rest?

Him -
I-holier-than-thou but satisfies
false independence dreams, but gratifies
my lie: I love you not!

I chase the wind.
An open-window morning underpinned
my love for you. Sun filtered through the screen
like tiny buzzard flies; and dust, unseen
throughout the night, danced suddenly around
arouse. I chase the wind and so surround
what wants my heart.

Her -
Elusive are your passions, sir!
O, yes you wail
and fail to e'er allow your ardor
even once to triumph or prevail!
Surely, you cannot discern a treasure?
So buried is your value! Not a measure
can be found!

Him -
Yet omnipresence paired
with cowardice is love I’m weak despaired.

Her -
You ground yourself, my sweet,
and in denial, lose the wealth completely!

Him -
Nothing cheap
is valued; nothing cheap is grace. But love,
what more requires costliness than love?

Her -
Yes! Here's the crux to passion! This, I see;
Trust earth's heartbeat!
Succumb to gravity!

Him -
For me is love as my conception: full
and unrecalled and indispensable
for life; and through as sleeps my graveyard shade.

The Shulammite is dead. Will she return
for love like hopefulness rebuilt? I yearn
to wander her again.

Her -
Does not my voice elicit revelry?
You have your ears plugged up!
You yearn to drink me in
and yet refuse the cup
when offered.
O, why does such a man as you
scoff when jewels are given without cost?
Refusal demonstrates your loss.

I am no Shulammite and yet I offer peace.
You claim you love me not? I will not beg to please.
I sing for you a song of songs to bring you to your knees.

Him -
A love of Love—
I fear discernments lovely spoken of
in serendipity are pure romance
and too ideal. So cowardice recants
the gravity of hope; I’m too ashamed
to bury you when lost-in-thought was framed
so often by your life (and that a lie)—
still necrophilia.

Her -
I assure you I am quite alive!
If you would only hasten from the grave
you've made where you are covered in
the dirt piled high upon your brow,
you'd see how mist and haze of breath
soft exits through my lips!
No reprise! You eclipse all possibilities!
You have sentenced love to death!

Him -
Yes, I deny
my heart’s elusive; rather, abstinent
and all refrained from trust, would I prevent
love failed. Return, return, O Shulammite—

Her -
My song is sung. I will not plead.
Your will be done. I am finished.

Him -
I cannot love; forgive my pleas contrite.

Her -
I concede! Your coffin is nailed shut.
You have drowned from
how you've cried in it.
We shall agree it is your choice
to lie in it.

Him -
Were you aware I loved, would that you said.
I love you; hear it now and don’t befog
my love as eulogy, but epilogue.
"Every genuinely religious person is a heretic, and therefore a revolutionary" -- GBShaw

User avatar
Doreen Peri
Site Admin
Posts: 14532
Joined: July 10th, 2004, 3:30 pm
Location: Virginia
Contact:

Post by Doreen Peri » February 26th, 2006, 1:54 pm

thanks for writing with me, joel!

I enjoyed the duet very much!

I thought of it last night when we were doing a poetry show which had a love theme.

this piece would have been perfect for the show ... wish you had been there to speak it with me!

User avatar
joel
Posts: 1877
Joined: June 24th, 2005, 8:31 am
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia

Post by joel » February 28th, 2006, 2:52 pm

Any time, Doreen! I had a great time too--really really helped the creativity...and nice to hear another voice during the creative process. Next time, you start. :)

Thanks! Too cool. :)
"Every genuinely religious person is a heretic, and therefore a revolutionary" -- GBShaw

Post Reply

Return to “Duets”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests