How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
I've forgotten your name, Melusina,
Laura, Isabel, Persephone, Mary,
your face is all the faces and none,
you are all the hours and none, (109-112)
Even though the speaker can't quite remember his lover, it doesn't matter because she's universal. So even though your BF or GF forgetting your name might be slap-worthy, in this poem it's more of a compliment. The object of his affection is such a super woman that she is all of these mythical ladies rolled into one. (Yes, you can steal that for when you forget your make-out partner's name. Good luck.)
Quote #2
the two took off their clothes and kissed
because two bodies, naked and entwined,
leap over time, they are invulnerable,
nothing can touch them, they return to the source,
there is no you, no I, no tomorrow,
no yesterday, no names, the truth of two
in a single body, a single soul,
oh total being… (289-296)
You've heard of time standing still, but is there more going on here than a pop-song cliché? When the lovers get hot and heavy they are freed from pesky stuff like time and language—all the things that make the human world go wrong.
Quote #3
to love is to battle, if two kiss
the world changes, desires take flesh,
thoughts take flesh, wings sprout
on the backs of the slave, the world is real
and tangible, (353-357)
The lovers battle the world and can really change it. Their desires and thoughts become flesh and the world becomes real. Even slaves are set free through love. Now that's some powerful stuff. You might not want to test this theory the next time you find yourself a slave to a math test, though.