Before Infatuation
no matter how much you
please you inherent
inevitable going
pretend adventitious
to design or to nature
we meet at take root
intensities border
little borders between
that which does not
exist red sap
you are going to smash
much you love
saps my
where one tense ends
look up
what does
cloud covers ground
break shelter pull back
than harder thins my
another begins
not missing something
cloud rests upon
peak acted upon
how we met in please
never imagined
can grow on another
at which of these points
should we say please
again please
mutual produced in
apply me authority
an appearance of strangling
an unusual part
neon refractions
false face must hide
wishing trees would
the happiest ever
roots fall from cloud
share under cover
at many points being
take sense
grow quickly
when the ground will be
same again
reached
to rigidity by
false representation
special expression
the more or less peak
fathom this sharing
the arms embracing
our origins in
where happiness ends
our dream dwelling in
collision of cloud
like insensible in
to the earth and take root
living on off or in
divination wets
enter the medium
can beautiful settle
the false heart knows
can air
should we say happiness
root in cloud
negotiate feels like
falling impose
deflect the course of the
drop to the ground
formed accidentally
which it may or may harm
love growing downwards
more or less than conditions
beside it grows
another
best
formed by roots
missing than nothing
like me
dreamed you
can put an end to
can whereabouts
prop descending
another begins
Infatuation
mūrchana / making stupid
An unreasoning passion, an extra-
-vagant folly. ‘I can’t remember who
he was or who I was or what we did
or how.’ A military show, her arms.
Making stupid, stand in business, ‘by the
jingling of’ class stupefaction in love
as the strong one ‘their bracelets | as they bend
their graceful’ breaking off their weakest arms.
Progress swooning your mother possessed by
origins exhibit origins
administrative affect ‘a motion’
nervous ‘to embrace’ system of the arm.
Mind ‘I went away and made you distant.’
A rise or fall of enjoying sounds ‘while
our arms were busied’ a noose a sword a
severed head while we confer boons in arms.
‘The lotus stems’ ‘that built the house’ what the
fuck you talking for causing inertia
‘lotus stems’ you profit allegories
profit ‘when they become his’ contract arms.
‘They fly out of my’ making fatuous
increase of fires in India they’d let
them all burn view from insensible swoon
‘I dream of babies’ with multiple arms.
Ignorance as the strong one: ‘It’s a sort
of wedding night.’ You are very dreadful
as the horned one you look in a mirror
breaking the long bones of jingling disarm.
Good omen in women bad omen men
‘the Production of Terrorism Act’
hand in hand combat public for granted
‘stirs her will’ overseas ‘but not her arms’.
Golden state violence withered state love
‘holding her legs up’ demand and supply
stand well mother under collateral
pride of the rod curled as the hair bare arms.
‘Will of the parent’ waving from windows
winnowing baskets learned from the parents
‘hands attached & gathered’ produce neighbours
‘dead labour’ tongue your enemy your arms.
mohana / infatuating
The being deluded of assurance
infatuate national ‘must take me too’
lovers not ‘bothered to burn’ divine arms.
Lovesick of ‘the rod of the sovereign’
she sits on the rod ‘of miraculous
refusal’ the paint peeling off her arms.
Blissful sounds mind I told you embarrassed
describe ‘a graceful gateway’ mind parting
mind melding unlikeness envy disarm.
‘Her fill’ of likeness thrown out the window
thrown into white corners her ‘skilful stroke’
confers wounds fair-weather sister in arms.
Your children are browner your making light
‘call them terrorists’ brown ‘birds mixed with men’
thrown against the wall you’re twice-born of arm.
Your children are white like your fine armour
fathoming get to fuck measures of love.
‘She stretches.’ Deferring embrace wreck arms.
We are falling from clouds we are quick to
distance embrace former bump ‘so tightly
she shall not go’ mishear boop ‘call to arms’.
The institution of their brooms ‘exposed
as violence’ feeding on enjoyment
of the earth kindness and kindness link arms.
Enjoying self as ‘smooth and cool as pearls’
you come home to smiling to downcast eyes
gestures bloodied by the love in your arms.
Poor pronunciation of the greeting
smile ‘they could not rebel’ look down ‘without
moral weapon’ sigh ‘they could not bear arms’.
mohanāstra / attacking
Attacking ‘aliquots’ passed ‘like bricks’ arms.
Against whom it is directed disarmed.
Water levels rising ‘shades of’ their arms.
Wounded pulling out of mind I said arm.
Fall on the pale of the ally cut arms.
Love in exile one to another’s arms.
Constitute alien class confuse arms.
Social can get to statecraft attack ‘armed
Neutrality’ attack many crossed arms.
Irrational in bed fleeing from arms.
rocana / making bright
Radiant arm.
‘Consciousness arm.
Of kind’ make arm.
Can get to armed.
Fuck bright bend arm.
Twitching make armed.
Exciter arm.
Brown sphere fake arms.
Embrace disarm.
Secure stars armed.
saṁdīpana / setting on fire
‘A gude’ arm.
Setting arms.
‘Cause maks’ arm.
On fire armed.
‘A strong arm’.
Failsafe arms.
Many armed.
Take brown arms.
Inflame arms.
Fall to arms.
After Infatuation
when we were skims and dips projected
deathwaters modulating seafoam when we were notknown
cast aside glance don’t listen to poetry
look allaround elsewhere are you island too?
exclamation mark poetry sunrising listen to face
armpit speaks silver drips good breeding thighs
governable eyes speak sandalsmoke nor quite concealed
moonlight becomes a minimal beats bed sore
the breeze from the lily downtempo timely
tearstreak the bright sky honourably handsfree late
ah handsome waiting for ah turn slightest
becoming inbox all things for doublehearted her
ah magician if you but sing standards
contradict love’s nature all inflections for her
when love has reached its timetoprepare interesting
friends’ efforts bent upon bassgrind thrive posturing
peak pre-empt consummation as if without you
as if fine could this meeting weakened
stomach rumbling hints emptybottlegreen distance shipwreckblue time
every syllable is flushed comes back up
giddy sick between friends and lasttrain home
the world has nought so precious shoulders
pavement offers restful from a portent ever
woozygolden first bus hope barearms kneebumps firstburpspromise
forget self wakeup comes back upstairs again
remember being shy drinkspill never jealous layitalloutonthefloor
ah horse cloud mountain eking out genre
parkbench blink sosoon into each other’s eyes
absent we set alarm clocks on fire
when near makes me offbeat walkhome redbreached
seen steals away my self conscious brownbird
heart when touched puts pins in options
threecocktails blowupparrot the moment’s joy warpface flirt
out my power unpossess decided in advance
lost when you are lost what else
my dust is somewhat dressed down you
the flowers lie reddishyellowing in her hair
scatter powder lacquer footprints lighted by serpentjewel
i kiss the cathair from your eyelashes
the pomegranate seeds from yournomy mixedup memory
such is the poison she has taken
greenglow longing turquoise dawning these new infinitives
my love rests in my mind asif
melted restive therein my horses skullrattle me
whiteface reflected or painted or sculpted loversmash
set therein asif jewelled everagain asif nailed
love’s five arrows bloodstreamers rosetting your heart
you are tightly sewn into seven threads
looping separation’s thoughts love’s continuum of everdotdotdots
Poems selected by Sophie Robinson, our virtual poet in residence for the October / November Issue of The Believer.
