Sunday, August 17, 2014

748 - The Demimonde

Sunday Whirl (Wordle #174) presents a list of words
that we must incorporate in a writing piece.  

The words this week are: 

demimonde, candle, grand, oranges, abomination, allegiance,

transgression, asylum, myself, rites, Africa, reborn, gray.


The Demimonde.
noun: a class of women who have lost their standing 
in respectable society because of indiscreet behavior 
or sexual promiscuity.

Sultry, primitive, inviting,
With her ‘come and spend the night’ in 
Looks and demeanour,
Sophisticated, in a worldly sense,
Rings, curtains, candles,
Aromas that betray their allegiance
To the most basic of desires:
Orange, cinnamon, musk.
She speaks to the core of humanity
That is an abomination to the puritans,
The same ones who queue at her door, at dusk.

Sultry, primitive, inviting,
Echoing the fertility rites and acts
Practiced since the gray dawn of time,
Since we walked out of Africa,
Born and reborn,
To face death, 
Real and petite,
There has been a desire to meet.
This is not a transgression,
Just a brief asylum.
A meeting of minds,
And bodies.
Complete.
And then composure, 
Without remorse.
A part of the grand cycle of life.
Sultry, primitive, inviting.

I wouldn’t go there myself, 
Of course.
.
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2014
---

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21 comments:

  1. Tricky bundle of words this week. The hardest to use was 'myself'.

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  2. Oh! Dear! What is "respectable society", anyway - by whose definition?

    And could anyone be bothered standing around amongst it - most are probably a mob of hypocrites. After a while one's feet would tire, particularly if wearing stilettos. Although the wearing of stilettos is probably better than having them in your handbag...that is, if you carry a handbag.

    I'll quit while I'm behind....

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    Replies
    1. It has always amused me that the original meaning of sophisticated is artificial.

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  3. Of course.
    And, I wince at the status of women in the 'demimonde' while their male counterparts are often admired. Which still exists.

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  4. Catherine McGregorAugust 17, 2014

    (From Facebook) "great poem I figure Africa would trip everybody up."
    (Catherine chose the words)

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    Replies
    1. I suppose, with Africa, you could have gone down a number of routes - but what do you do with a demimonde?

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  5. Yes, well, whatever. Seems about the best the world can offer these days: failure, betrayal, collapse, death.

    Peace, joy, etc.

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    Replies
    1. The old joke: life is a cock up from the start.

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  6. I suspect your ambitions and abilities just wave wistfully at each other from across the room?

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  7. Of course! ... Nicely written.

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  8. A very accomplished word portrait.

    PS I don't believe your conclusion!

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  9. I should think not! Great read though.

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  10. Of course? Ha! Ha! Great writing!

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  11. It is merely a commodity. If we can buy an apple why not a peach?

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  12. Spot on Cosmo. You got it perfect. They are polished these days! Great take!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete

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