HMS Implacable
“Because you loved me as it had to be.”
~ Paul Verlaine in “To Arthur Rimbaud”
We cherish thoughts of hearts and fate combined.
We love the grand idea that lust is out
Of our control like earthquakes. Disinclined
To judge ourselves for scarlet aches, we pout
Our way to that theology which tells
Our future and our fevers by the stars,
Their movements casting yearning’s ruthless spells,
Or planets, as in Venus crossing Mars
Unquenchably and dooming. Destiny
Of love is our desire. We want that trip
Beyond us and beyond heart’s marble quay
To launch the typhoon driven, full-sailed ship.
We love the thought that pulsing music staves
Are set by fate—and loves are tidal waves.