http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber
Reader ‘Jean-Claude’ who lives in Paris once emailed me about this poem to say how much he could relate to it. What better praise for a poem than it lets the reader into it? I wrote it as my thoughts turned to a particularly memorable June night there many years ago...
I would also like to take the opportunity yet again to recommend a delightful DVD 'Juste une question d'amour' ( Just a Question of Love) which take a delightful and sensitive look at the difficulties the parents of some gay people experience in coming to terms with their son's homosexuality.
I have a friend who lives in Lille who still feels he cannot break it to his parents that he has a boyfriend even though they have been in a relationship for some years. Sadly, there are gay people worldwide who feel they cannot be open about their sexuality for one reason or another. In my friend's case, he is burdened with a whole load of Catholic guilt; in other parts of the world, gay people have anti-gay legislation to contend with and live with the threat of imprisonment or worse. It is a sad indictment on a 21st century from whose socio-cultural-political and religious elements we deserve better.
I find the rise of the Far Right across Europe very disturbing, not least because it plays on people's fears regarding the extent of immigration. While it is true that many immigrants are from cultures that are intrinsically homophobic, and many seem unwilling to change their attitudes towards gay men and women, we should never forget that the policies of the Far Right are as essentially homophobic as they are racist. No one who deplores prejudice of any kind should ever vote for these people.
THE TWO OF US, A LOVE STORY
Under Paris stars,
one night in June - a nightingale
sang our tune;
we embraced,
exchanging vows - with tongues
of fire
No chill of darkness
undermining or intruding upon
our happiness;
your hand in mine
as kissed and exchanged rings
said it all...
Come morning,
sweet night bade us each a fond
"au'revoir";
a minute’s silence
for two singles joined together
(no matter what)
Cock crows
as we embrace a parallel dawn,
bask in its glory;
love, icon
for all seasons, opening its petals
to the sky
Story told, the world over, me
and my gay lover
Copyright R. N. Taber 2002; 2016
[Note: An earlier version of this poem appeared as ‘The Two of Us’ in First Person Plural, by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2002; revised ed. in e-format in preparation.
Reader ‘Jean-Claude’ who lives in Paris once emailed me about this poem to say how much he could relate to it. What better praise for a poem than it lets the reader into it? I wrote it as my thoughts turned to a particularly memorable June night there many years ago...
I would also like to take the opportunity yet again to recommend a delightful DVD 'Juste une question d'amour' ( Just a Question of Love) which take a delightful and sensitive look at the difficulties the parents of some gay people experience in coming to terms with their son's homosexuality.
I have a friend who lives in Lille who still feels he cannot break it to his parents that he has a boyfriend even though they have been in a relationship for some years. Sadly, there are gay people worldwide who feel they cannot be open about their sexuality for one reason or another. In my friend's case, he is burdened with a whole load of Catholic guilt; in other parts of the world, gay people have anti-gay legislation to contend with and live with the threat of imprisonment or worse. It is a sad indictment on a 21st century from whose socio-cultural-political and religious elements we deserve better.
I find the rise of the Far Right across Europe very disturbing, not least because it plays on people's fears regarding the extent of immigration. While it is true that many immigrants are from cultures that are intrinsically homophobic, and many seem unwilling to change their attitudes towards gay men and women, we should never forget that the policies of the Far Right are as essentially homophobic as they are racist. No one who deplores prejudice of any kind should ever vote for these people.
Gay couple outside a cafe in Paris; photo by Braden Summers (Internet)
THE TWO OF US, A LOVE STORY
Under Paris stars,
one night in June - a nightingale
sang our tune;
we embraced,
exchanging vows - with tongues
of fire
No chill of darkness
undermining or intruding upon
our happiness;
your hand in mine
as kissed and exchanged rings
said it all...
Come morning,
sweet night bade us each a fond
"au'revoir";
a minute’s silence
for two singles joined together
(no matter what)
Cock crows
as we embrace a parallel dawn,
bask in its glory;
love, icon
for all seasons, opening its petals
to the sky
Story told, the world over, me
and my gay lover
Copyright R. N. Taber 2002; 2016
[Note: An earlier version of this poem appeared as ‘The Two of Us’ in First Person Plural, by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2002; revised ed. in e-format in preparation.
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