#crush poems

[sorren-sews]

benthic angel

was writing about lake sturgeon for a class assignment and showed one of my friends what i'd written.. he then sent part of it back to me with line breaks to turn it into a poem! i just had to draw something for it :]

poem text under the readmore:

lake sturgeon don't know that they're endangered. They don't know anything - other than the muck at the bottom of the water column and the occasional passing touch of another.

really touched by how my friend turned my technical writing into poetry. i haven't tried to write creatively in months, so it's nice to see i've still got it- and nicer still that i could get so inspired by my friend, since i haven't made nature art in a little while, either :>!!

[whendidmythoughtsgocrazy]

I wanna do more than hold your hand. I want to hug you, for longer. I want to cuddle with you. I want to look into your eyes and feel my adoration and love for you grow each second. I want to touch you, I wanna do so much more with you.

k.b. // when will i be able to tell you this

[bardicbird]

a little siffrin comic about touch, violence, and oranges

[metamorphesque]

Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out, Richard Siken.

[4am-reflections]

love for me has always had teeth, it bites and tears and leaves scars long after it’s over.

but with him love is the caress of a summer breeze, gentle and refreshing and healing from the harsh cold of the winter nights.

love isn’t supposed to hurt. it’s supposed to heal.

[mythology-void]

okay so I was doing a Research™️ about ancient Greek etymology as one does and I found some Things that made me want to Violently Claw My Arms Off please allow me to force feed you my discoveries

So there are 2 words for "not" in ancient Greek, depending on the context: ou and mē. Having introduced himself in the Cyclops episode as " ou tis", or No-man, he then stabs Polyphemus in the eye. When Polyphemus' brothers come to check on him, they say this:

"... surely no man [mē tis] is carrying off your sheep? Surely no man [mē tis] is trying to kill you either by fraud or by force?"

Right after this, after the other cyclopes ditch Polyphemus, Odysseus's inner monologue goes something like this:

"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of my clever strategem [metis]." (pronounced mEH-Tis)

Now, there's a difference between mē tis and metis. [mē tis] (pronounced mEH-Tis with a space between the syllables) is the literal translation for "no man". Metis is a word for extreme intelligence/cunning, which is something Odysseus is famous for.

Now, there are several examples of abuse of metis/intelligence in the Odyssey, but I think the juxtaposition between [mē tis], or the concept of anonymity, and metis, or extreme intelligence, is REALLY interesting. Odysseus's adoption of the title "No-man" was characteristic of metis--it was a really smart move that simultaneously hid him from the cyclops and avoided any future consequences. It was a highly effective strategy all wrapped up in a nest little package with a bow on it.

But when he revealed himself as Odysseus of Ithaca, effectively throwing off No-man (anonymity and [mē tis]), that was characterized as idiocy--he's essentially doxxed himself, and now he's doing to (spoiler alert) get tossed around the Mediterranean by Poseidon for the next 10 years.

This is really interesting because it lets you see the parallels/codependency between metis(intelligence) and humility. When Odysseus refused to allow himself to go unnoticed (hubris) he suffered for it. BUT when he declined instant glory/satisfaction (kleos) in order to achieve the long term goal of survival, he was rewarded with Athena's favor (pay attention. This part is important).

And this situation repeats itself MULTIPLE TIMES in the Odyssey--the EXACT SAME THING happens near the end of the book, with the suitors. When. Odysseus is dressed as a beggar and the suitors/Antinious are abusing him, he ACTIVELY CHOOSES not to react--he doesn't stand up and rip off his disguise and start hollering "TIS I, ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! FEAR MY WRATH"

No. He sits there patiently and waits. He plans and schemes and quietly orchestrates their downfall without alerting them of it. Why? Because he learned his lesson the first time this happened. He buried his rage and adopted what was, according to Grace LA Franz, a more feminine form of metis, weaving a web of destruction for his enemies that ultimately resulted in their total annihilation (see Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Metis in the Odyssey by Grace LaFranz). His patience allowed him to win the whole prize--no questions asked, no 10-year-long-business-trip strings attached--just the sweetness of a full victory. And he is, once again, rewarded with Athena's favor--both in the battle with the suitors and in the aftermath (cleanup/reuniting with Penelope).

This really reinforces the idea in the Odyssey that Odysseus's defining characteristic is not just his intelligence--it's his ability to learn from his mistakes. He used what he learned at the Lotus Eaters Island against Polyphemus--the Lotus Eaters drugged his men, so he drugged Polyphemus. He used what he learned from Circe and Polyphemus against the suitors--Circe used false sweetness and honeyed words to lure his men into a trap, so that's exactly what he did to the suitors. His hubris on Polyphemus' island cost his whole crew their lives, so he intentionally left well enough alone until the right time. He didn't just learn from his failures--he turned them into BATTLE STRATEGY.

i don't care what anyone says that is completely totally and objectively awesome

[junexsleepyy]

You’re my favorite voice to hear, every time you speak to me.

[kiisuuumii]

Richard Siken, "Unfinished Duet," Crush

[gorextoy]

bike rides and prancing in the field, barefoot in sundresses and blue jean shorts. holding his big fingers, as he guides me to the prettiest lilies he’d entwine within my heatless curls he helped put into my hair the night before. a girl can only dream ༗࿇𓇢𓆸

[ultramarinaa]

My coworker is truly a poet

Also in case you have hard time reading the handwriting:

„Jojo oh jojo

I respect them so

Without my desk buddy

Life would be… muddy

Something something Cartin

That rhymes with Martin

Just like in Magnus Archives”

[asoftepiloguemylove]

MAY I BURN. MAY YOU SEE IT; DEVOTION THAT SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE

George Bataille // @inbredlamb // Richard Siken Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out // Olga Koroleva with grandfather // unknown // Richard Siken "Planet of Love," Crush // Otto Künzli Ring for two people / Brooch for two people // Ada Limón "The Good Fight," Bright Dead Things // Phoebe Bridgers Scott Street

[brokenloveblog]

you've never left my mind throughout all this time. my heart was with you the first day i noticed you.

[averyblackbooks]

This felt too relevant after the heartbreaking results of this election

Except from “Little Beast” in Richard Siken’s Crush

[latibulia]

୨୧.꙳࡛࣪ ˚ .𓄲     ׁ     𓂂     ♡⃕     moodboard attempt + new header 4 you !

 𓏲 ִֶָ  𓆸 sempre que vejo seu rosto, meus olhos brilham com paixão

diga que me ama, pois eu direi o mesmo . . . ☆～（ゝ。∂）

mesmo quando estejamos afastados, anseio por ti, doce anjo, como se uma libélula desejasse a luz do luar.

 ⸰ 𖥔 ͙ࣳ    ֗𓏲 ๋࣭     ࣪ ˖        ⋆ ࣪.     ˖ ࣪⭑      ˖ ࣪ ٬     ุ๋ ⸱

haniel, caso, leia isso, você é tão gentil comigo, obrigada.

[depraved-raven]

[4am-reflections]

you have given me the love i have spent my entire life dreaming of. one filled with laughter, peace, truth. it’s coming home to you and you knowing exactly what i need without me having to say a word. it’s teaching me that you never have to be yelled at; that i am enough without having to dim myself down. it’s the quiet moments that bring me calm instead of the anxiety stillness has always instilled in me. you are the answer to my hearts every question. my truest love.