SILK BOIL
venus conj. neptune // jupiter through the moonglass
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Sarah Aiko’s poem illustrates the chart the Venus-Neptune conjunction, which is exact at the time of the publication.
I. Birth Again
butter in pot/ pot,
stove, stove, pot/ butter
blisters, her
solids burn, sputters
foam and brands a blister
afloat my palm—
mound of Venus— i
see her, visage, bulbous pearled
and bright; iced pond meat-
fluid seals
shut; some broken gift
large organ brittle
thick sucking inward, fiercely,
begging, for, i to
spread split dive deep peel
my steamed supreme loaf
of bread— yes, like i said, my
flesh webbed— off the hand, into the sea, no
body fucks me like me
II. Jewels of Earth
the king sits like a spark himself. he, whom
could never walk gingerly
across this silk boil; we
scramble beneath his feet, wet, bubble
laugh— he doesn't even notice— hot
and flesh thudding,
the Sun molts and
the peasants bicker whether he shall enter
the gate keeper's chariot, or not;
but never mind, he always finds a way into your lap through either injury or warmth
III. The Shoreline
Saturn's chains secretly adoring her conformity around such heat's desires; the Moon shy,
she wants to join in our pleasures, doesn't she?— as bestial as she is,
we shiver at the thought of being torn asunder by hooves and wind swept fire, so heavy, are we,
in silky cosmos and black indigo, the last bashful spill of pearls eternal—
IV. Supper
Jupiter can sense me through the door
he cannot see that i see what he lays his enormous body upon and it makes me squeal, corked
kinked freshly pinked little scallop feet,
turning orange flush with femininity; fortuna bound in age old steel
dreams in waves of softer metal, delirious
gold, chandeliered cell like, some deep deep body— the love
that comes burbling out of this mouth, Venus, my heart blisters sweet pepper—
you press and i
mold bold and puffed copper, purely
necessary, my violence frothed
V. Afterword
(i wait for the clouds to pass; the ballooning desire; Venus fromage; i wait, i wait, mewling i wait, in the very hot and nervous shower)
Also by Sarah Aiko: