Limerence 

· by · in dVerse, the aged librarian. ·

The aged librarian finds pride
in being prudent even in the face
of vagrant long-legged visitors,
with hips wider than a single
gaze could capture, even if their
passing presence, tinkly titter,
and blossomy essence stir
an adolescent steel within him
he resolves to stoic suffering,
silently, studying selections
of sagacious essays about
the virtue of Victorian policies.
and even if a temptress corner
him with tantalizing queries
on his favorite poetry he
simply mumbles that he is
way too busy with paramount
demands to be able to let
himself to be absorbed in
leisurely matters, and only
later, later when alone,
he indulges in the sea
of a well-worn copy of Saphos’
most salacious songs.

Girl with a Book
Jose Ferraz de Almeida Junior

Today Kim hosts at dVerse and we are being given a choice of words to use as a title in a new poem. My choice was Limerance: an involuntary state of intense desire

July 11, 2023

21 responses to “Limerence ”

  1. I’ll repeat what I said to Laura, Björn: I have a feeling limerence is going to be a popular choice, as is petrichor, but that’s the fun of it, seeing all the different poems inspired by the same word. But I also had a feeling that the aged librarian would make an appearance – what a combination! These lines made me smile:

    ‘…even if their
    passing presence, tinkly titter,
    and blossomy essence stir
    an adolescent steel within him
    he resolves to stoic suffering’

    and,

    ‘later, later when alone,
    he indulges in the sea
    of a well-worn copy of Saphos’
    most salacious songs’.

  3. Ha. This is great.

    “vagrant long-legged visitors” … I love that. … He is a good man to maintain his resolve. He has far too much important work to do; he cannot be preoccupied by feminine wiles.

  4. This is absolutely stellar writing here, Bjorn! This is a lovely addition to the aged librarian series 😀

    I especially admire; “even if a temptress corner him with tantalizing queries on his favorite poetry he simply mumbles that he is way too busy with paramount
    demands.” 💙💙

  5. If only the temptresses knew what simmered beneath the stoic demeanor and avoidant barriers of the aged librarian. Yet perhaps they do know…
    Love this part:
    “and only
    later, later when alone,
    he indulges in the sea”

    And who is to say that perhaps there are two sailing those seas?

  6. ‘Temptation of the librarian’ will be apt. I enjoyed reading the poem, Björn. The image you created was vivid and I can visualise the poor man hot under the collar.☺️

  10. This is the best ending ever: “…later when alone,
    he indulges in the sea
    of a well-worn copy of Saphos’
    most salacious songs.” What a revelation to this guy’s character. LOL!

  11. Glad to see the old fellow back some more. You seem to be keeping him busy at his work. You kinda helped me active, I’m the sow’s ear and didn’t know Sappho was.
    ..

  14. even in the face
    of vagrant long-legged visitors,
    with hips wider than a single
    gaze could capture,

    I feel for this librarian of yours, my friend!

    ❤
    David

  15. “even if their
    passing presence, tinkly titter,
    and blossomy essence stir
    an adolescent steel within him
    he resolves to stoic suffering,
    silently, studying selections
    of sagacious essays about
    the virtue of Victorian policies.”

    I would expect nothing less of that aged librarian.

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