innocence begets experience

by andrew lovatt

innocence is a deception
a sleight of hand
of the ego
bent on a virginal
domination of reality
be not hurt
and not hurt do

this little utopia
is cracked like milk
violated by lust
in the gaze
of an Other
dark complexity
ravishes
simplicity's perfection

it is innocence
which cries
in mock horror
at the injustice
of subjugation
to an alien
will
yet lusts it all
the moreso

in that one move
innocence has
descended to that
other world
where lust is
redemption and beauty
an acceptance
of multiplicity

unbinding the tyranny
of innocence
is a sweet torture
a necessary price
for the solace & joy
of submission
to the purity
of a willing corruption

[]

selected from
Wolf Play : Poems from the Forest
in progress