Come, divine lover.
Fill this empty glass. Yes, fill my glass
the way that Ganymede filled the empty heart
of Zeus. Oh, quench my thirst. Oh, let me bathe in you.
Come, fresh spring. Come, come, come—
so I may drink pink nectar from your lips.
I know you hear my prayer.
I know you will return the goods
I lost— the summerhouse,
the silk settee, the sigh.
Come, succulent lover. Sparge me
with your aspergillum. Bless me
with a laying on of hands. Save me
from this drought. Please douse this fire
that burns me to the bone.
Come, spring rain. Come, come, come—
so I may lick the sweet sweat off your skin.
Oh, water boy, I need a drink.
Please hurry. Run. The gutters
of my eyes are dry with grief.
Ken Anderson was a finalist in the 2021 Saints and Sinners poetry contest. New Poetry from the Festival (an anthology of the 2021/2022 winners and finalists) includes four of his poems. His poetry books are The Intense Lover and Permanent Gardens. Publications include Angel Rust, Beyond Queer Words, Flux (Fifth Wheel Press), Gay and Lesbian Review, The Heart of Pride (Quillkeepers Press), Mollyhouse, Prismatica, Queerlings, Rabid Oak, RFD, Screen Door, Vagabonds, Warning Lines, Wicked Gay Ways, and Wussy Mag.
Angel Rust 