love is animus

love is animus, hard liquor:

the morning after,

love is dementia,

hemlock and honey,

shiva, aphrodite.

love is barbed wire, electricity:

gothic in deed,

love is hot wax,

pain and gorgeousity

tattooed skin and medicine.

love is bloody, and ugly.

in spite of herpes it kisses.

love is aids;

for worse and in sicknesses.

love is mary magdelene:

piercey nails and slivers,

love is myth,

dante and hendrix.

love is animus.

This poem has an interesting story. It was born from listening to Love Is Blindness while reading Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange. Both have elements I find very interesting, for example, the language and dialogue of A Clockwork Orange are, in my opinion, a literary masterpiece. Love Is Blindness is also brilliant in that it takes a concept usually connected with good things, then twists it into something akin to a handicap or associated with darkness. I felt inspired to write a poem similar to Love Is Blindness, using the style of language spoken in A Clockwork Orange.

I am mostly happy with the poem, although I am not entirely comfortable with the word animus, as it does not convey the exact emotion/concept I want it to. This means, that as of now, the poem is unfinished, 18 years after it was originally conceived.

I will include a link to Love Is Blindness, that readers may compare U2's lyrics with the above poem. U2start.com | U2 - Love Is Blindness (Lyrics) In addition, if any of you have suggestions for word(s) other than animus for the poem, throw it (them) in the comments section, and I will gladly steal your genius and take all the credit for myself.

Joshua Wiebe