I have slipped through the artisan stalls along the Seine
and skipped the steps of Montmartre,
dined in German castles
and raised the roof of English pubs,
floated the canals of Venice
and rivers of Bangkok.
All half-heartedly, as my mind fast-forwarded to the next
and the next and the next.
Too many wonders I haven’t stopped to fully appreciate.
I should have lingered longer for Rodin,
inhaling marble and the intensity of being possessed
by life and art and creation,
by passion and heartbreak.
In Florence I circled
The Rape of the Sabine Women
until I was dizzy,
intoxicated by their arduous struggle.
Fingers spread reaching, grappling
muscles flexed and rippled.
The erotic tension palpable and raw.
Over the years my fast paced strut
has slowed to a saunter.
I still wander, but with as little agenda as possible,
seeking only the magic of the moment,
choosing to stop the ceaseless hunt,
relishing in the beauty of who we are today.
Bella LaVey East Village, NYC 1998