The following poem is a Finalist for the 2012 Atlanta Review International Poetry Contest, and published in the Fall 2012 edition of the Atlanta Review:
Tantra
The women are no less attractive
as I’ve gotten older. But in
meditating,
a Fuji apple, strain of sitar,
a hand’s graceful gesture are now
as alluring. Sex not the only fetish
for the divine. Everything, titillating.
The burgundy and orange umbrellas
hanging inverted from the tea house ceiling.
The steam that rises from Japanese cup,
the aroma of Tulsi Rose, the taste
of chocolate biscotti, the texture
of the lacquered wood table.
Each moment a seduction.
A synesthesia of
senses,
my eyes fingers
undressing this beloved
world.
BIO:
Dane Cervine lives in Santa Cruz, California, where he serves as Chief of Children’s Mental Health for the county. His book The Jeweled Net of Indra was published by Plain View Press in 2007. His poetry won a National Writers Union award from Adrienne Rich, and has been finalists for the Wabash Poetry Prize, two Atlanta Review awards, and the Caesura Poetry prize. He was also chosen for the New
Writers edition of the Hudson Review for his poem Saturdays. Visit his website at www.DaneCervine.typepad.com to view more of his work.