My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer

ORPHEUS AFTER EURYDICE

ORPHEUS AFTER EURYDICE Then I, a singer and hunter, fished In streams too deep for love. A god grew there, a god grew there, A wet and weblike god grew there. Mella, mella peto In medio flumine. His flesh is honey and his bones are made Of brown, brown sugar and he is a god. He is a god. I know he is a god. Mella, mella peto In medio flumine. Drink wine, I sang, drink cold red wine. Grow liquid, spread yourself. O bruise yourself, intoxicate yourself, Dilute yourself. You want to web the rivers of the world. You want to glue the tides together with yourself. You look so innocent— Water wouldn’t melt in your mouth. I looked and saw him weep a honey tear. I, Orpheus, had raised a water god That wept a honey tear. Mella, mella peto In medio flumine. Spicer: My Vocabulary Did This to Me page 19 19 ...