Eros by Louise Glück
MARGINALIA • SKIP TO THE POEM
Because it told exactly how I felt:
Eros
Louise GlückI had drawn my chair to the hotel window, to watch the rain.
I was in a kind of dream, or trance —
in love, and yet
I wanted nothing.It seemed unnecessary to touch you, to see you again.
I wanted only this:
the room, the chair, the sound of the rain falling,
hour after hour, in the warmth of the spring night.I needed nothing more; I was utterly sated.
My heart had become very small; it took very little to fill it.
I watched the rain falling in heavy sheets over the darkened city —You were not concerned. I did the things
one does in daylight, I acquitted myself,
but I moved like a sleepwalker.It was enough and it no longer involved you.
A few days in a strange city.
A conversation, the touch of a hand.
And afterward, I took off my wedding ring.That was what I wanted: to be naked.
End Notes
This poem appeared in The Seven Ages by Louise Glück, published by Ecco, 2002. Shared here with profound gratitude.
Read more works by Louise Glück • Find books by this poet • Or view my library
Explore poems in pursuit of: desire • relationships • the body • Or browse the index
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Francisca
Hermoso
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Jane
Hi sorry to bother. I like this poetry too. It really really really touches me! Thanks for the beautiful type you have made in this blog. But I guess in this sentence “the room, the hair, the sound of the rain falling”, “the hair” ought to be “the chair”, to indicate the things mentioned in the first sentence. I didn’t read the original form, and I am not sure whether I am right. It feels great to find someone like it too. I believe this poetry must bring unforgettable feelings for you as well.
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