Cupid and Psyche for Beginners

1. Sex saves Soul

2. Sex awakens Soul

3. Beauty punishes Soul

4. Nature saves Soul (twice)

5. It’s about someone falling for someone they’re supposed to punish.

6. Sex disobeys Beauty

7. Sex is a winged serpent

8. Soul is forbidden to look upon Sex - but does so anyway, of course

9. Sex and Soul are married, for chrissakes!

10. They make love in darkness, not seeing each other.

11. Soul wounds Sex, not vice versa (and recriminations follow).

12. Soul is tormented by jealous sisters

13. Sex is locked up when Beauty whomps Soul

14. Nature assists again, in the form of animal helpers.

15. Beauty is mollified by the Soul’s apotheosis. Sex is still divine.

16. (In the Roman version, of course, Daddy has to throw the whole mess out.)

Variations on a Theme by Sandra Simonds

         and Joe said, “Everyone at this table

        has to write a poem with that line in it.”  

                                     - Tony Trigilio

“I only have eyeliner – 

do you have a pen?”

only you pen

do you have a do-liner?

have pen? eyeliner?

only do I know you?

a have have only eye;

I-liner I-liner!

a have I do I do I have

have pen? pen?

do only one pen?

have you pen-eye?

holy delighter

dew heave a pan

I travel with Einstein

do happen Oppen

You ought to die trying

sloppy as sin

The Bonn-I^TM

eyeliner pen!

ever yodel aye –

pave no nylon hula hive

I only have geek-eye –

do you have a pen liner

“. . . all she wrote her

highbrow pencil broke”

“I am eyeliner.

There is a registry?”

I only have guideliners

have eyes for you (pen)

Have only you I do;

have eyeliner too –

and you have a pen –

I only have lines