“Greek Slave” Marble @1873 by Hiram Powers
A grain of lust, she’s chained to please
a watching buyer holds the keys
Anonymous behind his mask,
the man can take, he never asks.
Still slaves exist it never ceased.
The blame is hers — she’s such a tease
unless she’s veiled, a man can feast
Cause men are weak they cannot grasp
a grain of lust
She’s waiting in the icy breeze,
the naked slave from ancient Greece
yet still today though time has passed,
we chain our sisters for the tasks
of staying silent nude to be
a grain of lust.
Today Kerry challenge us at Toads to use a booktitle and replace a word to use it as a title of a poem. My choice was to use “A grain of wheat” and and change it to a grain of lust, I also missed Margret’s prompt yesterday with statues. I found the statue of the nude girl chained, and I could not help but to think of trafficking, and the way men are supposed to react on nudity. Also it was a while i wrote a rondeau. I will also link to Poetry Pantry.
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October 18, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Bjorn, Timely topic in todays world. Well written. 🙂 — Susan
Sadly, so true…it’s good to bring these truths to light…thank you, Bjorn.
Yes, it still goes on…..horrifying, world-wide. You aced this, Bjorn, fulfilling two prompts, and with a rondeau. Way to go!
Unfortunately this is what goes on in today’s world!
Sadly slavery, trafficking, prostitution, etc seem to be timeless issues -just as your poem shows. And most of the time it is women who pay the price.
an ancient trade still going strong…so well captivated in rondeau…
What an amazing poem, Bjorn. The choice of the classic rondeau to offset your theme and bridge the gap between past and present is inspired. The repeated phrase gains in strength throughout… sisters chained for a grain of lust.
The time changes but I guess world doesn’t
Sadly the undervaluing of women is so slow being corrected. With communication on an express train, sexual equality is on a slow stopping train pulling into many sidings.
Lust we forget.
Sadly this is still exists…really well done Bjorn.
hopefully, one day, this will cease to be pertinent
Only in poetry in hands as skilled as yours can something awful be bundled in a beautiful package
on the other hand -in a less straight-forward reading I see the power of the woman to the weakness of lust – and of the men who are powerless to its temptation and who must then chain and hide the innocent “provocateurs”
Very relevant still today ~ Sadly some of our women are still chained to the lust of greedy and mercenary man ~ Love it Bjorn ~
Wow! You have captured the irony of this surface beauty made by male hands. The details you narrate are scathing. Bravo!
PS: I also see the irony of your choice of a perfect form for this content!
Well summed up, Bjorn–the rhyme really forceful but musical as well, and all too true, I’m afraid.
loved the title.and you highlight an important malady of the world.well done.
What a great poem addressing one the evils in this world. Such a strong voice.
Lust is equated with a power differential and a desire to reduce woman to objects for men’s own pleasure. Sadly, it happens even today….and that makes me cringe every time.
But, I liked this powerful voice…Brudberg!
So well done, Bjorn. You always amaze me with your use of form. Poignant piece.
This is insightful and such an exquisitely rewritten commentary of the commodification of women’s bodies.
I love “the grain of lust” – it causes quite a lot of disturbance, doesn’t it? As you so beautifully share. What you say is true – the world hasn’t really changed despite views to the contrary.
You outdid yourself this time. Bravo!
A timely and timeless theme. And thank you, once again for a new form. I have not yet attempted a rondeau. It looks rather tricky – though the recitative flow does seem, to me, to be slightly more fluid than other forms.
So powerful and has relevance to today’s world. The classic rondeau form was perfect for poem & image.
Hey Bjorn–as all have said, your repetition adds to the force of your message–and the musicality creates a certain irony–also there is the irony of the woman veiled/unveiled and the man masked/unmasked. Ugh! Thanks for your message. k.
Love the rondeau, and esp. yours, Bjorn. Musical and ironical, the poem- like beckoning rebuke to the high-intellectual society.
I have been away for awhile from your words but, upon my return, I see that you are continuing to produce excellence in style, structure and in statements made. You are so effortlessly brilliant, Bjorn! You simply crack me up! 😃
The grain of lust is ancient indeed, you told it nicely.
I liked your statue find too.
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you tackled the tricky rondeau with ease. and with such a challenging subject. 🙂
Sexual lust is so damaging, both the object of the lust and one doing the lusting. Although nakedness and intimacy are beautiful things (within marriage or other committed relationship), making women as a whole objects of selfish desire is a sad, sad thing.
Wonderful. Excellent capture in well-chosen format.
poignant and painful.
A very poignant point poetically expressed.
Good one
What an important topic to be addressed. I like the way you expressed it so fully. It would be nice to live in a world where these things didn’t exist.
the reply to the picture of the statue is quite amazing….love all the personification you have included. and the realistic detail!
A powerful poem. It sad that our sisters’ have this fate.