Afrodita

Arms wide open,

right hand cradling a wine glass,

her left, fingers delicately curling,

thumb and forefinger touching gently

around a grape stem.

.

White skin contrasting the shadows,

her table is illuminated, crowded with

baskets of berries, packets of sugar,

and round, ripe fruit.

.

Her gaze, though lowered,

is essentially seductive;

admiring a wide, deep bowl,

filled with dark molasses.

.

The scene, not salacious,

but aphrodisiacal,

conjures a craving,

though not thirsting,

to join with that scene;

to consume and be consumed;

to take part in this experimentation of sweetness,

to forget all else and

engage in innocent expressions of sensuality,

to marvel in the sensory combinations created.

.

As all senses unify in one moment,

you are sacrificed to pure sensation,

and then without another thought,

submit to your baser instincts.

.

The goddess does not judge,

only acknowledges how it is so

that she exists to entice,

understanding of her place.