Coitus, 1915, Egon Schiele

by | Jul 21, 2023

Coitus (1915), Egon Schiele. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

 

I remember fondness dirtier.

The stark contour, your touch. The things we’ll do

bereft of nerves. The light’s hard. The rug burns.

 

Where would I look for comfort in a body?

A lover’s full weight only disappoints

me. Damp breath on my mouth.

 

Here, a contour uneasy

and unashamed. Still, there’s no comfort—

Is that the erotic?

The unblinking revelation?

 

No belonging can lovers find.

No comfort found inside us.

We could conform then

to one another. Your touch always

 

heavy-palmed. Your gaze brazen, defiant

in wanting. Timidity is a cheap vice.

Form’s meekness

 

an insolence. We should be well-worn

as the floorboards and as

asprawl.

Klaus Andrieu

Klaus Andrieu

Publab Fellow 2023

Klaus Andrieu is a poet and an essayist raised in Northern California. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Davis. His writing interests include California nature poetry, eroticism, myths, and mysticism. He currently lives in Berkeley, California.

Egon Schiele

Artist

Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was a significant artist of Austrian Expressionism known for his figurative works, self-portraits, and portraits.